© Harrow Museums Trust
Thomas Heath Robinson painted this atmospheric painting of a First World War ‘Tommy’ for the VAD military convalescence hospital at Pinner, a town now in the London borough of Harrow.
The hospital opened in February 1915 as one of 352 auxiliary hospitals set up in the London district to treat wounded soldiers. It closed in 1919.
Thomas Heath Robinson was the elder brother of the famous cartoonist William Heath Robinson. He trained at the Islington School of Art and went on to become a successful illustrator of books. He settled in Pinner in 1906.
This painting hung on the walls of the VAD hospital for the duration of the war, and may have been used to raise funds for the work there. It now joins the collection of Headstone Manor, the local history museum for the Harrow area.
Provenance
The painting is currently part of a private collection and has been offered for sale at a discounted price, and as first refusal to the William Heath Robinson Trust, who have contributed funds to help secure the work.
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