Gladys E. Reed

[anteros_lmc]

The National Maritime Museum published a lovely blog post today as part of International Women's Day commemorating the wartime artist Gladys E. Reed. Reed joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in 1943 and over the next two years, while serving in Liverpool and Birkenhead, she sketched her fellow WRNS at work and leisure. After the war,

Comments

[eglantine_br]

Those are very moving somehow. They are so immediate-- the line of the leg and foot, balancing the woman with the torpedo, the way the two men are huddled, asleep. They do remind me of Bray. There is a sort of sweetness there, an affection for humanity. This is notably lacking in some other artists of the earlier group.

[nodbear]

my father used to describe a journey he made on leave from Belfast to Portsmouth to visit my uncle who was in the navy when dad was a rookie soldier in 1940
he had to sleep sitting up on his pack in the corridor and this is so evoctive
I do hope they find out more about her

[aletheiafelinea]

Great! She really captured the atmosphere of moments.