3Trees Posted 21 April Share Posted 21 April (edited) Hi, I’m hoping that someone might be able to identify the ship/s in this painting or the artist? I purchased it this afternoon at a car boot sale for just £1. I thought it was criminal to not get it for such a ridiculous fee, seeing it’s 107yrs old & it beautiful. Many thanks for any help! Rgds, Jim Edited 21 April by 3Trees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin DavidOwen Posted 21 April Admin Share Posted 21 April I think this may be the artist concerned. There are a number of newspaper articles from 1903 - 1908 on FMP reporting prizes won for drawing at school in the Gloucester area for him. Following his trail brings me to the 1939 Register entry below (courtesy FMP). His full name is John Kilminster Baughan according to baptism, record. He died in 1970. There is an expired eBay link for a painting of a DH5 also painted by him in 1917. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Trees Posted 21 April Author Share Posted 21 April (edited) That’s brilliant, thank you for your time in looking into this. I’m assuming that FMP is Find My Past. My partner grew up not far from Harrow in Northolt, so that’s a nice surprise too! Do you have a link to the eBay listing? Edited 21 April by 3Trees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin DavidOwen Posted 21 April Admin Share Posted 21 April Just edited the aircraft type in post above. As said the link doesn't work anymore - presumably the picture was sold - so here's a screenshot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 22 April Admin Share Posted 22 April Nice find for a pound It looks like another aeroplane on the forward catapult of the ship which appears to be a light cruiser. Happy to be corrected but It was probably a stylised interpretation of early experiments in naval aviation rather than taken from life The Royal Navy experimented with float planes and catapult ships in 1917 see HMS Slinger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Slinger_(1917) This vessel had only one funnel so not the one in the painting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Trees Posted 22 April Author Share Posted 22 April Very interesting, thank you for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KizmeRD Posted 22 April Share Posted 22 April (edited) Looks a lot like a Canopus-class pre-dreadnought battleship to my eyes, with guns trained to starboard - but I’m struggling to discern an aircraft on the foc’sle (although it is extremely difficult to pick out much detail). The problem I’m having is the reference to ‘the watch dogs’ (bottom left of the picture) - suggesting perhaps that the ship(s) shown were blockade enforcers, out patrolling in 1917 (Northern Patrol, or Dover Patrol) and as far as I’m aware none of the pre-dreadnoughts were tasked with that duty or were active in those locations at that particular time (although I’d be quite happy to be proved wrong). MB Edited 22 April by KizmeRD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 22 April Admin Share Posted 22 April 2 hours ago, KizmeRD said: but I’m struggling to discern an aircraft on the foc’sle I think you are right what I took to be the upper and lower wing of an aircraft is in fact a stylised feature of the class you identified. As for the 'watch dogs'(which I missed entirely) perhaps watching for submarines(?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Trees Posted 23 April Author Share Posted 23 April 21 hours ago, KizmeRD said: Looks a lot like a Canopus-class pre-dreadnought battleship to my eyes, with guns trained to starboard - but I’m struggling to discern an aircraft on the foc’sle (although it is extremely difficult to pick out much detail). Many thanks KismeRD, based on your info I’m sure your bang on from what I’ve found online & there was only 6 of them. The other ship in the distance is the same type & HMS Ocean & Goliath were sunk in March/May 1915. The only place they were all together was the East Mediterranean & then the Dardanelles (where the two sank), so possibly a recreation on a patrol there? But great to narrow the search in super quick time brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin DavidOwen Posted 23 April Admin Share Posted 23 April You might wish to get in touch with Cliff Baughen Wills and Letters of Administration | Cliff Baughen as his website references the 1970 will of John Kilminster Baughan. He may have other pertinent family info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete-c Posted 23 April Share Posted 23 April 5 hours ago, 3Trees said: Many thanks KismeRD, based on your info I’m sure your bang on from what I’ve found online & there was only 6 of them. The other ship in the distance is the same type & HMS Ocean & Goliath were sunk in March/May 1915. The only place they were all together was the East Mediterranean & then the Dardanelles (where the two sank), so possibly a recreation on a patrol there? But great to narrow the search in super quick time brilliant! If this is meant to be either Goliath or Ocean, during this period, then the seaplane flying above was one of Ark Royal's - and by the look of it a representation of one of her Sopwith Type 807's. This, then, would not have been a 'patrol' - the seaplane would have been spotting for the warships' guns. To do this, though, it would have been flying a lot higher than in the painting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Trees Posted 23 April Author Share Posted 23 April 5 hours ago, DavidOwen said: You might wish to get in touch with Cliff Baughen Wills and Letters of Administration | Cliff Baughen as his website references the 1970 will of John Kilminster Baughan. He may have other pertinent family info. Thank you for this, I’ll look into it cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Trees Posted 23 April Author Share Posted 23 April 1 hour ago, pete-c said: If this is meant to be either Goliath or Ocean, during this period, then the seaplane flying above was one of Ark Royal's - and by the look of it a representation of one of her Sopwith Type 807's. This, then, would not have been a 'patrol' - the seaplane would have been spotting for the warships' guns. To do this, though, it would have been flying a lot higher than in the painting. That’s great info, I was wondering if the planes identification might be of use. I’m loving the story that this lucky find is beginning to unravel & could have been so easily lost forever. Thanks everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KizmeRD Posted 23 April Share Posted 23 April 4 hours ago, pete-c said: If this is meant to be either Goliath or Ocean, during this period, then the seaplane flying above was one of Ark Royal's - and by the look of it a representation of one of her Sopwith Type 807's. Only it doesn’t gel with 1917, as both ships were already sunk by then. 1915 would certainly be a better fit for what we see depicted in the painting. MB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Trees Posted 24 April Author Share Posted 24 April 10 hours ago, KizmeRD said: Only it doesn’t gel with 1917, as both ships were already sunk by then. 1915 would certainly be a better fit for what we see depicted in the painting. MB I think that’s the perfect question, 1917 was the time the artist painted the scene but it has to be from an earlier time frame & the type of plane could be a key element - maybe. If the info I’ve just read reads true, then 1915 makes sense in theory. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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