John Worsley | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Godfrey Bernard Worsley 16 February 1919 Liverpool, England |
| Died | 3 October 2000 (aged 81) England |
| Occupation | Artist, Midshipman, Illustrator |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | St Winifred's boarding school, Brighton College, Goldsmiths |
| Genre | Children's books |
| Notable works | P.C. 49, Belle du Ballet, John Worsley's War |
John Godfrey Bernard Worsley (16 February 1919 – 3 October 2000) was a British artist and illustrator best known for his naval battle scenes and portraits of high-ranking officers and political figures. One of the very few active service artists of the Second World War, Worsley was the only person to render contemporary sea-warfare in situ, and the only official war artist captured by the Germans.[1] Detained in the infamous prisoner-of-war camp Marlag O, Worsley documented prison life with supplies provided by the Red Cross, his expertise employed in the forging of identity papers, and an ingenious escape attempt requiring the construction of a mannequin named Albert R.N.[2]
During his lifetime, Worsley was president of the Royal Society of Marine Artists: sixty-one of his paintings – including portraits of Field Marshal Montgomery, and the First Sea Lord, Sir John Cunningham – hang in the Imperial War Museum, with another twenty-nine pictures archived in the collections of the National Maritime Museum.[2]