Ernest Worrall (1898–1972) was an English artist and teacher. Born in London, he served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and graduated from the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

before moving to

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...

. He is remembered for a series of paintings depicting the impact of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

on the town. His work was exhibited in the Royal Academy fourteen times, and has more recently been displayed in the

National Memorial Arboretum The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and civilian ...

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...

in response to a successful exhibition in a centre in Cleethorpes.

Biography

Worrall was born in London in 1898. He served as a

machine gunner A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

during

. Having been captured by German forces in 1917, he escaped in the following year prior to the end of the war. In 1931 he graduated from the

. He moved to

in 1932, working as a teacher at Wintringham Grammar School. During

Worrall was a member of the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

. In 1943 he was commissioned by Grimsby Borough Council to record the impact of the conflict on the town in paintings. During 1943 and 1944 he created a series of over 20 works depicting a range of scenes in Grimsby. Worrall continued to teach at Wintringham after the war, retiring in the 1960s. He died in 1972.

Personal life

Ernest Worrall was the oldest of seven children. He married Mollie Wood in 1932, shortly before moving to Grimsby. After his retirement he moved to Sussex, where he died in 1972. He had a son, Richard Worrall, who in 2009 helped to organise an exhibition of his father's work at the

Exhibitions

Worrall's work was exhibited at the Royal Academy on 14 occasions during his life. Of the 22 works he painted during World War II, 18 are now owned by the local council and four by the Imperial War Museum. In October 2008 a free exhibition of Worrall's wartime paintings, titled ''Grimsby at War: The Works of Ernest Worrall'', was opened at the Cleethorpes Discovery Centre, with an intended closing date of 30 November. It became the most popular exhibition ever to be displayed at the centre, attracting over 2,500 visitors, and was extended to run until 4 January 2009. Later in 2009 Worrall's son Richard, who saw the pictures for the first time at the Cleethorpes exhibition, helped to arrange another display of the paintings, at the

Alrewas Alrewas ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England. Geography The village is beside the River Trent and about northeast of Lichfield. It is located southwest of Burton-on-Trent. The parish is bounded ...

in Staffordshire.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Worrall, Ernest 1898 births 1972 deaths 20th-century English painters English male painters Painters from London People from Grimsby Alumni of the Royal College of Art British Army personnel of World War I Schoolteachers from Lincolnshire 20th-century English male artists