Early Biography

Hennell was born in Ridley, Kent

Ridley, Kent

Ridley is a village in Kent, England. It lies between Sevenoaks and Chatham, and is within the Sevenoaks local government district. It is part of the Ash-cum-Ridley civil parish....

 in 1903. He studied at Regent Street Polytechnic

University of Westminster

The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...

 and qualified as a teacher. He suffered a nervous breakdown

Nervous breakdown

Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...

 from 1932-1935 and was detained at the Maudsley Hospital

Maudsley Hospital

The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in South London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the country...

. After his release, Edward Bawden

Edward Bawden

Edward Bawden, CBE, RA was a British painter, illustrator and graphic artist. He was also famous for his prints, book covers, posters, and garden metalwork furniture...

, a fellow artist, encouraged Hennell to write The Witnesses, an account of his mental illness.

Artist Biography

At the outbreak of war in 1939 Hennell wrote to the War Artists Advisory Commission offering his services as an artist. He worked for the Pilgrim Trust

Pilgrim Trust

The Pilgrim Trust is a London-based charitable trust. It was founded in 1930 by a two million pound grant by Edward Harkness, an American philanthropist. The trust's first secretary was former civil servant, Thomas Jones....

 in 1940 and the Ministry of Information in 1941. Hennell was named as an official war artist

War artist

A war artist depicts some aspect of war through art; this might be a pictorial record or it might commemorate how "war shapes lives." War artists have explored a visual and sensory dimension of war which is often absent in written histories or other accounts of warfare.- Definition and context:A...

 in 1943 and sent to replace Eric Ravilious

Eric Ravilious

Eric William Ravilious was an English painter, designer, book illustrator and wood engraver.-Career:Ravilious studied at Eastbourne School of Art, and at the Royal College of Art, where he studied under Paul Nash and became close friends with Edward Bawden.He began his working life as a muralist,...

 in Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

. Hennell took part in the Normandy Landings and recorded the war in Holland, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Burma. Hennell was captured by Indonesian nationalist fighters in Batavia in November 1945 and was presumed to have been killed shortly thereafter.

Hennell's art works centred on the countryside, and in particular hedging, threshing, baling, and clearing orchards etc. Hennell was a member of The Royal Watercolour Society and exhibited in The New English Art Club

New English Art Club

The New English Art Club was founded in London in 1885 as an alternate venue to the Royal Academy.-History:Young English artists returning from studying art in Paris mounted the first exhibition of the New English Art Club in April 1886...

. As an artist he recorded the surrender of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

Footnotes