Thomas Barclay Hennell (1903-1945)

Painter, born in Ridley Rectory, Kent, who studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic, London, 1921-26. From 1928-32 Hennell taught art at Bruton School, Somerset and Kingswood School, Bath. At that time he began making drawings of country crafts and farm implements. In 1934 he published his first book, 'Change in the Farm', with his own illustrations but during the mid-1930’s he suffered a breakdown and was confined to Claybury Mental Hospital, later recounting his experience there in 'The Witnesses', published in 1938. In 1938 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Watercolour Society and early in World War II in 1940, he was commissioned by the Pilgrim Trust to make drawings for the Recording Britain scheme. During the following two years Hennell was also commissioned by the Ministry of Information, to record aspects of tool making and land work in wartime. He spent three months in Iceland as an Official War Artist in 1943, and in