Lot 1661
WATERCOLOUR OF H.M.S VERDUN - SILVER FRAME
a watercolour of H.M.S Verdun, signed by Colin Gray 1919, in a silver frame which is inscribed H.M.S Verdun, April 2nd 19. Also with a small painting of H.M.S St George, signed by W Fred Mitchell (William Frederick Mitchell (1845-1914), 1911, and marked on the gilded frame H.M.S St George, Oct 09-Jan12. Silver frame marked for Birmingham, 1916, Silver Frame 24cms by 15cms, Mitchell painting 13.5cms by 9.5cms. (2)
*H.M.S Verdun was an Admiralty V Class Destroyer of the Royal Navy, which saw service in WW1 and WW2 and was launched in 1917. Verdun was selected to carry The Unknown Warrior across the English Channel because her name would be a tribute to the French people and the endurance of it's armies at Verdun in 1916. After finishing service the ships bell was removed and now hangs on a pillar in Westminster Abbey, close to the tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
William Frederick Mitchell (1845-1914) was a British artist commissioned to paint many naval and merchant ships, some of which are in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
