John George Mennie, A.R.M.S. D.A.(ABDN). ARMS., (26 November 1911 – 24 August 1982) was a Scottish artist who came to public attention in 2011 for his many contemporaneous drawings of his life as a prisoner of war during the Japanese occupation of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

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 opposin ...

. The drawings were made in secret depicting scenes of daily life and personalities in the camps in Singapore and Thailand, working on the

Death railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

. They also uniquely documented the ''

Selarang Square Squeeze The Selarang Barracks incident, also known as the Barrack Square incident or the Selarang Square Squeeze, was a revolt of British and Australian prisoners-of-war (POWs) interned in a Japanese camp in Changi, Singapore. The events started on 30 ...

'' when some 17,000 prisoners were forced to crowd in the barracks square for nearly five days with little water and no sanitation until they signed a 'promise not to escape'.Back from Hell – John George Mennie – Artist and Prisoner of War
/ref> Mennie's drawings were donated to the archive at the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

, but came to wider public notice when a selection from a separate source were featured on an episode of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

television programme ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...

'', filmed on 18 September 2011 at Manchester.

Early life

John Mennie was born at 28 Clarence Street,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, on 26 November 1911 to Robert and Margaret Mennie. He was known to family and friends as ''Jack''. He trained at

Gray's School of Art Gray's School of Art is the Robert Gordon University, Robert Gordon University's art school, located in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of the oldest established fine art institutions in Scotland and one of Scotland's five art schools today, and ...

in Aberdeen and at

Westminster School of Art The Westminster School of Art was an art school in Westminster, London. History The Westminster School of Art was located at 18 Tufton Street, Deans Yard, Westminster, and was part of the old Royal Architectural Museum. H. M. Bateman described ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. After graduation he worked as a commercial artist in London for eight years until he enlisted in the army in 1940.''Back from Hell'', John Mennie, Biography
/ref>

WWII – Singapore and Thailand

Mennie joined the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in 1940 and was posted in September 1941 to Singapore. ( No 1604539 in the 2nd Highland A.A. regiment, H.K.S.R.A. ) By the time of his capture on 15 February 1942 he had been promoted to

Lance Bombardier A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike sim ...

. He was captured when Singapore surrendered to the Japanese forces in February 1942 and he was a prisoner of war until August 1945. He was demobbed in 1946 and returned to Aberdeen.Japanese POW Index Card
/ref> Mennie described his 4-year PoW itinerary in a part of a letter to his mother written at Pratchi camp, Thailand, 5 September 1946.John Mennie's first letter to his mother after 4 years PoW. Thailand, 5 September 1946.
/ref> He was in

Changi Prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. History First prison Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside t ...

, Singapore, from February until October 1942, when he was transferred to Thailand on 5-day rail journey, arriving on 3 November. Then after a 6-day voyage on a barge up the

Mae Klong The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Mae Khlong or Meklong, is a river in western Thailand. The river begins at the confluence of the Khwae Noi (Khwae Sai Yok) and the Khwae Yai River (Khwae Si Sawat) in Kanchanaburi, it passes Ratchaburi ...

river from Kontonburi was dumped ''on the side of a mountain with jungle starting from the bank''. They had to clear a space and build a camp from the material around them, bamboo. At '

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria * Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...

' their task was to build 10 miles of railway along the mountain. He noted that of the 600 men, 125 were dead within 6 months. He left Kano camp in August 1943 and went to Chungkai, 2 miles from

Konton buri ''Kai/Konton'' is a collaborative album by Bill Laswell, Yoshi Otani, Manabu Murata and Munenori Senju. It released on March 2, 2011 by P-Vine Records. Track listing Personnel Adapted from the ''Konton'' liner notes. ;Musicians *Bill Laswe ...

until May 1944. He was then moved to

Nakom Paton ''Nakom'' is a 2016 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Kelly Daniela Norris and T. W. Pittman. The film had its world premiere at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section and was invited to have its ...

,Nakom Paton memorial
/ref> a place that he cheerfully described to his mother as '' having the second largest

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

in the world.'' In January 1945 he was moved 'up country' to a camp called Tamawan. In May 1945 he was moved again, a 6-day journey to Pratchi camp where the prisoners had to tunnel into a mountain to make bomb proof magazines for ammunition.

Secret drawings

Mennie was one of a few brave prisoners that recorded life in the Japanese POW camps at great risk to themselves. Others included

Jack Bridger Chalker Jack Bridger Chalker (10 October 1918 – 15 November 2014), was a British artist and teacher best known for his work recording the lives of the prisoners of war building the Burma Railway during World War II. Biography Chalker was born in Lon ...

Philip Meninsky Philip Meninsky (born 1919 in Fulham, England, died in 2007) was the son of Bernard Meninsky. Despite an early passion for art, at his father's wish, he initially trained as an accountant, before being called up for National Service. After a firs ...

Ashley George Old Ashley George Old (born 1913, d. 2001) was an artist best known for documenting the lives of prisoners of war forced to construct the Thailand-Burma Railway. During World War II he was stationed in Singapore, and when it fell to the Japanese in F ...

and

Ronald Searle Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI (3 March 1920 – 30 December 2011) was an English artist and satirical cartoonist, comics artist, sculptor, medal designer and illustrator. He is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian's S ...

. Mennie created two series of secret drawings while he in the camps: * a documentary series detailing Japanese barbarity and the conditions endured by prisoners. He secreted these in the stem of a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

walking stick A walking stick or walking cane is a device used primarily to aid walking, provide postural stability or support, or assist in maintaining a good posture. Some designs also serve as a fashion accessory, or are used for self-defense. Walking sti ...

; * a set of eighty sketch portraits of his comrades which he secreted under the piece of wood on which he kept his

mess tin A mess kit is a collection of silverware and cookware used during camping and backpacking, as well as extended military campaigns. There are many varieties of mess kits available to consumers, and militaries commonly provide them to their troop ...

. These were eventually discovered by the Japanese, removed, stolen back from the Japanese camp office, made their way back to the UK and were posted to his mother's address in Aberdeen. His meagre materials were pen, pencil, scraps of paper and card including 'white space' torn from manuals, plus a Chinese 'Children's watercolour paintbox'.Aberdeen Weekly Journal 11 April 1946
/ref> Mennie's drawings in the camps include: * ''Selerang Square Squeeze, Singapore, September 1942''. Captioned ''16,500 British + Australian POW from Changi area herded in Selerang Square for four days to force them to sign documents promising not to attempt to escape.'' * '' L/Col Dunlop A.I.F Medical Corps, performing operation in the open at Kanung PoW camp, Thailand May 1943 * Servicemen depicted carol singing in a bid to keep their spirits up, Christmas Eve, 1943. Dysentery Ward. Ching-Kai POW Camp,

Thai-Burma Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

Imperial War Museum

Mennie created many drawings during his time as a prisoner of war, and in 1978 over fifty pieces were donated to the archives in the

, London.

Art and teaching career

After graduation from the

in circa 1931 he worked as a commercial artist in London for eight years until he enlisted in the army in 1940. In 1947, after his demobbed from the army, Mennie started teaching

life drawing A figure drawing is a drawing of the human form in any of its various shapes and postures using any of the drawing media. The term can also refer to the act of producing such a drawing. The degree of representation may range from highly detailed, ...

and painting at the Marylebone Institute of Adult Education, later run by the

Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was an ad hoc local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. The authority was reconstituted as a directly elected body corpor ...

. He also ran an 'art stall' at Nicolls Antique Market in

Portobello Road Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is ...

. Mennie was a member of the

Royal Society of Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers The Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers, more commonly known as the Royal Miniature Society (RMS), is an art society founded in 1895 dedicated to upholding and continuing the tradition of miniature painting and sculpture, ...

.Back from Hell – Gallery of portraits by John Mennie
/ref>

Personal life

He met Dorothy (Bertha Dorothy Linter Cole) when she enrolled at one of his evening classes at the Marylebone Institute of Adult Education, and she became an accomplished artist. They first lived at ''The Studio'',

Holland Park Avenue Holland Park Avenue is a street located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London. The street runs from Notting Hill Gate in the east to the Holland Park Roundabout in the west, forms a part of the old west road ...

. Later they lived at ''Studio House'', Colville Road, London W11 which had a purpose built studio with a partial glass roof on the top floor.

References

External links

Gallery dedicated to John Mennie's PoW drawings at 'Back from Hell' website

* ttp://www.johngmennie.co.uk/miniart.html Gallery of portraits by John Mennie at 'Back from Hell' website
Aberdeen Weekly Journal 11 April 1946

Aberdeen Weekly Journal 11 April 1946, Part 2.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mennie, John 1982 deaths 1911 births Artists from Aberdeen Alumni of Gray's School of Art Alumni of the Westminster School of Art British Army personnel of World War II British war artists British World War II prisoners of war Burma Railway prisoners Royal Artillery soldiers World War II artists World War II prisoners of war held by Japan