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Painting HMS London 1914 Escorting British Expedition Force By Frank Watson Wood

£18,500.00
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  • Take a daring voyage back in time with this original painting by Frank Watson Wood. See the heroic HMS London 1914 escort the British Expedition Force during WW1. A striking masterpiece that captures the spirit of adventure and bravery!

  • Impress your guests or your clients & be drawn into the beginning of WW1 historic moment marine masterpiece for your home or office.
  • Watercolour on paper with a front protective glass cover.
  • Title “HMS London 1914” Escorting British Expedition Force Across The Channel Onboard Midshipman Edmund Walter Anstice K.C.B by Frank Watson Wood.
  • Circa 1915 early 20th century. 
  • Signed in the bottom corner by the known listed English marine artist Frank Watson Wood.
  • Inscribed near the bottom with the title H.M.S London 1914.
  • Set in a recent gilt traditional Larson Juhl frame with ar70 protective glass cover & new mount which enhances this work further.
  • A delightful display size with the frame being 53 cm wide and 44 cm high.
  • Subject seascape marine view of the known British pre-dreadnought battleship HMS London steaming along on high seas shown in full side profile facing towards the right, onboard midshipman Edmund Walter Anstice, K.C.B. Who would later become a Vice-Admiral. She is escorting the British expedition force heading for France around the beginning of WW1, other battleships are shown in the distance on the right and left flanks. Below 3 seagulls flying low & above blue sky with scattered white clouds.
  • In our opinion this is an exceptional historic marine masterpiece one of his very fine works.
  • Artist biography Frank Watson Wood (19 September 1862 – 23 March 1953) commenced his career as a Royal Navy officer, and was described in 1907 as "naval artist, Portsmouth". He went on to become an internationally regarded watercolourist. His works have been exhibited in galleries & sold at auction houses around the world the highest sold price was for $34,327 US dollars for his Scapa Flow work that sold at Bonhams. He son of Robert and Ann, who resided in the High Street of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Frank Wood was initially apprenticed to a Grocer but, having convinced his parents of his talent, soon moved to study at the Berwick School of Art. Soon after he moved to Kensington to study at the South Kensington Art School (later The Royal College of Art) and in 1886, moved to the Newcastle School of Art where he served as Second Master. 
  • After a period as Headmaster of the White School of Art, he decided to become a professional artist in 1899 and moved to Portsmouth in 1906 to focus on painting ships. Moving amongst the officers of the fleet, in August 1903 he sold King Edward VII a watercolour which he hung in the Royal Yacht. Queen Alexandra. purchased at the same time a further three pictures, all associated with views taken during Cowes Regatta week. In November 1907 the Queen again purchased from him two large watercolours. These two sales set his artistic career in motion and he developed into one of the most prolific and talented marine artists of the 20th century.
  • Much of Woods early work came from serving or retiring officers who commissioned paintings of their ships - or ships that they had served in. These paintings form the bulk of Woods work and provide valuable images of some of the more obscure ships of that period. Alongside William Wyllie, Wood was invited to join the Grand Fleet Flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth and tour the surrendered German High Seas fleet at Scapa Flow in 1918. Wood was in Bermuda in 1929 and 1931, and painted Admiralty House (since demolished) and Admiralty Cove, in those days the Headquarters of the America & West Indies Squadron (established 1 July 1927). During the 1930s Frank Wood had developed his craft so well that he was freely allowed to watch and paint some of the most well known and majestic ships in the British fleet at that time for example HMS Hood, HMS Barham and HMS Royal Oak. During World War Two, Wood created also paintings to commemorate some of the major events of the war that had a naval component for example The Epic of Dunkirk and The Battle of The River Plate.
  • During World War Two, Wood created also paintings to commemorate some of the major events of the war that had a naval component for example The Epic of Dunkirk and The Battle of The River Plate. Legacy and death. Frank Wood was a talented painter of British Royal Navy warships and landscapes. With the resurgence of interest in naval pictures in the 1990s, his paintings became and still are highly sought after at auction. His attention to detail and ability to capture the spirit of a ship at sea of in port make his paintings unique - this was no doubt partly due to his own naval service. His final years were spent in Perthshire and he died at Dochfour, Strathyre in 1953 at the age of 91. Many of his paintings are in private collections and others can be found in The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
  • Biography of HMS London was the lead ship of the London class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the British Royal Navy, having a displacement of 14,700 long tons, length 431 ft 9 in (131.6 m). Beam 75 ft (22.9 m). Draught 26ft (7.9 m). Speed 18 knots or 21mph. 2 screw propellers, 2 triple-expansion steam engines, crew compliment 714. The Londons were near repeats of the preceding Formidable-class battleships, but with modified armour protection. The ship was laid down in December 1898, was launched in September 1899, and was completed in June 1902. Commissioned the same month, she served with the Mediterranean Fleet until early 1907. She was assigned to the Nore Division of the Home Fleet for nearly a year before transferring to the Channel Fleet.
  • Rendered obsolete with the emergence of the new dreadnoughts in late 1906, she underwent an extensive refit in 1909, after which she served with the Atlantic Fleet. She was assigned to the Second Home Fleet in 1912 as part of the 5th Battle Squadron, and was temporarily fitted with a makeshift ramp for experiments with naval aircraft until 1913. 
  • Following the outbreak of the First World War, the squadron was attached to the Channel Fleet before London was detached in March 1915 to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign, supporting ANZAC forces as they landed at Gaba Tepe and Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915. The fuse of the first shell which struck MHS London at the Dardanelles, was mounted and sent back to the Lord Mayor. “ We think it might of some interest to the great city after which the ship is named.” Wrote Captain J.C Armstrong RN to his Lordship.
  • She remained in the Mediterranean, supporting the Italian Royal Navy in the Adriatic Sea until October 1916. Returning to the United Kingdom, she was inactive until being converted to a minelayer in early 1918, which entailed the removal of her main armament. She served with the Grand Fleet's 1st Minelaying Squadron until the end of the war. Placed in reserve in 1919, she was eventually broken up for scrap in 1920. HMS London was laid down at Portsmouth Dockyard on 8 December 1898, launched on 21 September 1899, and completed in June 1902. 
  • HMS London commissioned at Portsmouth Dockyard on 7 June 1902 for service in the Mediterranean Fleet, with Captain James Goodrich in command. Before departure from home waters, she was scheduled to serve as flagship for the Coronation Review for King Edward VII at Spithead planned for 28 June 1902, but the King fell ill and the coronation and review was rescheduled for August 1902, without the London. She thus left Portsmouth in early July, stopping at Gibraltar, and arrived at Malta on 14 July. In September 1902 she visited the Aegean Sea with other ships of the station for combined manoeuvres near Nauplia. While in the Mediterranean, she underwent refits at Malta in 1902–1903 and 1906. Starting in 1905, the ship began to have her 3-pounder guns gradually removed. 
  • Career of Vice-Admiral Sir Edmund Walter Anstice, K.C.B. (5 May, 1899 – 30 August, 1979) served in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Major J. C. A. Anstice. At age 15 he left the Training Establishment in August 1914 from Dartmouth to serve as midshipman the battleship London until ordered home on 29 August, 1916. He had been slightly wounded in the head by shrapnel at the Dardanelles on 30 April, 1915. Anstice was appointed to Renown on 25 September 1916. On 25 July, 1917 he was directed to take a brief course (two days?) in Torpedo Control at H.M.S. Vernon before being appointed to Achates, where he served through the end of the war. Anstice was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 February, 1920. Anstice became an aviator in 1924. Anstice was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 February, 1928. Anstice was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1932. Anstice was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1939 before World War II Anstice was then promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 10 July, 1948. Anstice was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 15 September, 1951. He retired 16 September, 1954.
  • Provenance labels verso J F Prowse of Plymouth, Private Scottish collection, Scottish Auction,Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD & Exhibited Famous Lord Hill Museum.
  • We provide our clients with friendly professional expert customer service. 
  • Condition report. 
  • Offered in fine used condition. 
  • The painting surface is in good overall condition with various foxing staining in areas.  The frame has some imperfections commensurate with being handmade.
  • Hanging thread on the back ready for immediate wall display.
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Dimensions in centimetres of the frame

High (44 cm)
Wide (53 cm)
Depth (2 cm)

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