Harold Gresley (1892–1967) was a British artist, following his father and grandfather. He was a painter of landscapes and portraits in watercolour and oil.
Derbyshire UK He served in the Royal Fusiliers in the First World War and was awarded the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

. He has a substantial number of paintings in

Derby Museum and Art Gallery Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...

Biography

Gresley was born in Derbyshire and studied at Derby School of Art. He was the son of

Frank Gresley Frank Gresley (1855–1936) was a British artist. He painted mainly landscapes, of which the best known are those of the River Trent at Swarkestone, Barrow upon Trent and Ingleby, Derbyshire. His father, James Stephen Gresley, was an artist, a ...

and grandson of James Stephen Gresley both of whom were notable artists. He interrupted his studies when the First World War broke out, joining 1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers. During the war he fought in the Balkans and in France. For his gallantry in France in late 1918, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, a British award second only to the Victoria Cross. His citation reads:

" G/16514 Sjt. H. Gresley, 1st Bn., R. Fus.(Derby). Throughout the operations in October and November, 1918. he repeatedly went forward well in advance of our troops and brought back very valuable information. On 7th November, 1918, after the battalion had been held up at St. Vaast La Valee, he went forward with the leading wave under a barrage and pointed out their objectives."The Gazette, 9 March 1920

After the war he continued his studies in Nottingham under

Arthur Spooner Arthur Eugene Spooner is a fictional character played by Jerry Stiller in the American sitcom ''The King of Queens''. He lives with his daughter Carrie and her husband, Doug Heffernan, in Rego Park, Queens, New York. Biography Little is know ...

, and became a teacher at

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...

. Though the Gresleys are principally known for their landscapes, Harold was a highly accomplished portrait painter too. He lived at

Chellaston Chellaston is a suburban village on the southern outskirts of Derby, in Derbyshire, England. History An early mention of Chellaston is thought to be a reference to Ceolarde's hill. This is mentioned in a 1009 charter when nearby lan ...

, near Derby until he died in 1967. Some of his work is presented in

after 77 of his paintings were donated by art collector

Alfred E. Goodey Alfred Edward Goodey (1878–1945) was a collector of paintings, prints and photographs, especially those connected with the English Midlands town of Derby. Biography Alfred Goodey's parents were William Henry Goodey and Rhoda and he was born ...

References

External links

Harold Gresley Auction Price Results
Invaluable. (contains pictures of his paintings) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gresley, Harold 20th-century English painters English male painters Landscape artists English portrait painters People from Chellaston People educated at Derby School 1892 births 1967 deaths Collections of Derby Museum and Art Gallery Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal 20th-century English male artists