Zeebrugge: What is the title of this painting and is this all of it?

[rolt968]

This is a scan of the frontpiece of Kerr and Granville's RNVR: A Record of Service. The original painting used to hang in the Naval Club (formerly the RNVR Club).

Firstly can anyone tell me the title of the painting? (I have vague idea that there is mention of St George in it.)

Secondly is this the whole painting? The caption says "from the painting....". I have seen the original many times and it is certainly upright (portrait) shape.

W L Wyllie painted at least one other picture of this event which can be found online. However I have only found one copy of this version online.

RM

 

 

[seaJane]

My thoughts are that "from the painting by" here means that the picture is an engraving made from Wyllie's original painting. The original painting I think is this one, "Storming of Zeebrugge (1919)" as seen in https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Storming-of-Zeebrugge/574F1F152FBF4C66. You will notice that the engraver hasn't bothered to reverse the image before engraving it!

[Gunner 87]

On 13/11/2023 at 15:15, rolt968 said:

This is a scan of the frontpiece of Kerr and Granville's RNVR: A Record of Service. The original painting used to hang in the Naval Club (formerly the RNVR Club).

Firstly can anyone tell me the title of the painting? (I have vague idea that there is mention of St George in it.)

Secondly is this the whole painting? The caption says "from the painting....". I have seen the original many times and it is certainly upright (portrait) shape.

W L Wyllie painted at least one other picture of this event which can be found online. However I have only found one copy of this version online.

RM

 

 

Hi RM.

@seaJane is correct in that the artist is W.L.Wyllie but I believe the original is a mural at the Royal Exchange titled 'Blocking of Zeebrugge Waterway, St George’s Day, 23rd April 1918'.

regards

Gunner 87

Edited 16 November , 2023 by Gunner 87

[rolt968]

Thank you both. I am beginning to suspect that Wyllie painted more than one version of this.  I've an idea that there may yet be another version.

The Naval Club version was certainly a painting and the frontpiece seems to be a photo of all or some of it.

The Royal Exchange version is not exactly the same - notice the 7  (ML 287) under the man's arm. I don't see a signature on the Royal Exchange Version. There is on the Naval Club version (bottom left).  I wonder if the Naval Club version was painted in preparation for the mural.

The title makes sense, but I have a vague memory of "....... for St George" before something like that.

RM

Edit: That should be a 2 not a 7! Still there is a different amount hidden in the two photos.

Edited 25 November , 2023 by rolt968

[rolt968]

18 minutes ago, kenf48 said:

The Storming of Zeebrugge Mole, St George’s Day, 23 April 1918.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Marine_carrying_a_Lewis_gun-_Zeebrugge,_1918_RMG_PU9948.jpg

This is the HMS Excellent painting:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Storming_of_Zeebrugge_Mole,_St_George's_Day,_23_April_1918_by_William_Lionel_Wyllie_HMP_HMSE_P25965.jpg

The marine with the Lewis gun is in the bottom right hand corner.

[rolt968]

There are two photos of the picture hanging in the Naval Club on this page:

https://www.buildington.co.uk/buildings/2855/london-w1/38-hill-street/the-naval-club

The shapes of the pictures are very distorted as the photos were taken with a very wide angle lens. (Notice the distortion of the portrait of the king on the opposite side of the staircase.)

RM

There is a better picture here:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/AKIAJKXKVBAIJXQB5RRA.live/media/storage/properties/VOL2/properties38/225470/pdf2441183.pdf

 

Edited 25 November , 2023 by rolt968

[KizmeRD]

Sorry for joining this thread a bit late - but the title of the Wyllie painting in the Royal Exchange is ‘The Blocking of Zeebrugge Waterway, St. Georges Day, 23rd April 1918’. It was painted in 1920. 
MB

PS W.L. Wyllie had two sons who were killed during the Great War.

PRIVATE ROBERT THEODORE MORRISON WYLLIE Service Number: 2168

1st/14th Bn. London Regiment (London Scottish), Date of Death 01 November 1914, Age 26.

And CAPTAIN W T WYLLIE 2nd Bn. Durham Light Infantry, Date of Death 19 July 1916, Age 34.

Edited 2 December , 2023 by KizmeRD