Brenda Rawnsley
Encyclopedia
Brenda Mary Rawnsley Keighley (born 31 July 1916, Oxford
, Oxfordshire — died 25 June 2007, Milford on Sea
, Hampshire) was a British
arts campaigner and education activist. During World War II
, she was based in North Africa
as an Air Ministry Squadron Leader.
, she was educated at Queen Anne's School
, Caversham
. She earned a scholarship to attend Oxford University, but left without graduating, in order to join her father in Cairo
.
Officer Cadet training unit, but soon left to work for the Ministry of Economic Warfare in London. Through mutual friends she met Flt Lt Derek Rawnsley, who had made history by flying solo in a Tiger Moth
from Australia
to Oxford
.
In 1937 Lt Rawnsley had founded the Federal Union Movement with Charles Kimber and Patrick Ransome, seeking the unification of Europe to avoid war. Hugh-Jones and Rawnsley were married in February 1941, but he was immediately posted overseas in the RAF. By the end of 1941, Mrs Rawnsley was a Women's Auxiliary Air Force
officer. Fluent in French, Arabic and Greek she was of great importance and sent in 1942 to Heliopolis
, and later, to RAF Ramleh in the then-British Mandate in Palestine.
Lt Rawnsley was killed in a February 1943 accident, after which Mrs Rawnsley worked with 201 Squadron, Alexandria and was subsequently posted to Algiers
in February 1944 to work with Gen. Wilson, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in the Middle East. Later she returned to England to work with Duncan Sandys
, trying to forecast the course of flying bombs (V1s) and rockets (V2s).
In June 1945 she was dispatched on an intelligence mission to the German flying bomb factory in the Harz Mountains, and subsequently wrote a history of the flying bomb for the Air Ministry, leaving the service with the rank of Squadron Leader and a variety of medals in 1945.
, Derek Rawnsley had set up Picture Hire Ltd., which made available for rent original pictures by contemporary artists, and School Prints Ltd., which aimed to loan sets of reproductions to schools so that children could learn about the world's great works of art. With the support of Victor Bonham Carter and architect Raglan Squire
she followed her late husband's goals of bringing "good" art to schoolchildren who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to enjoy it.
In her introductory letter to artists she wrote: "We are producing a series of auto-lithographs, four for each term, for use in schools, as a means of giving school children an understanding of contemporary art." The majority of the prints were lithographed directly by almost two dozen artists and printed by the Baynard Press. To minimise framing costs, each picture included a decorative border, and they were distributed to schools in redundant cartridge cases bought from the Ministry of Supply
.
In 1971 The Observer
agreed to sell the remaining stocks of the European series and the rest of the business was sold to Patrick Seale
, the paper's Middle East correspondent. Rawnsley was elected to the position of Master of the Fine Art Trade Guild (1961-62). She subsequently worked as a librarian before retiring to Hampshire
, where she died, aged 90.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Oxfordshire — died 25 June 2007, Milford on Sea
Milford on Sea
Milford on Sea is a large village and civil parish located on the south coast of England in the county of Hampshire. With a population of approximately 4500, Milford has a variety of shops, restaurants and pubs in its high street, which borders the village green.-Overview:Milford on Sea is village...
, Hampshire) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
arts campaigner and education activist. 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...
, she was based in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
as an Air Ministry Squadron Leader.
Biography
Born as Brenda Mary Hugh-Jones, daughter of Llewellyn Arthur Hugh-Jones, Governor of Faiyum in Egypt, and Dulcibella Eden, a cousin of Anthony EdenAnthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, she was educated at Queen Anne's School
Queen Anne's School
Queen Anne's School in Caversham, Berkshire is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18, situated just north of the River Thames and Reading town centre and occupying a campus.There are around 330 pupils. Nearly half are boarders...
, Caversham
Caversham, Berkshire
Caversham is a suburb and former village in the unitary authority of Reading, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, within the royal county of Berkshire, on the opposite bank from the rest of Reading...
. She earned a scholarship to attend Oxford University, but left without graduating, in order to join her father in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
World War II
In 1939 Hugh-Jones enlisted in the ATSAuxiliary Territorial Service
The Auxiliary Territorial Service was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War...
Officer Cadet training unit, but soon left to work for the Ministry of Economic Warfare in London. Through mutual friends she met Flt Lt Derek Rawnsley, who had made history by flying solo in a Tiger Moth
Tiger moth
Tiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...
from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
In 1937 Lt Rawnsley had founded the Federal Union Movement with Charles Kimber and Patrick Ransome, seeking the unification of Europe to avoid war. Hugh-Jones and Rawnsley were married in February 1941, but he was immediately posted overseas in the RAF. By the end of 1941, Mrs Rawnsley was a Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
officer. Fluent in French, Arabic and Greek she was of great importance and sent in 1942 to Heliopolis
Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)
Modern Heliopolis is a district in Cairo, Egypt. The city was established in 1905 by the Heliopolis Oasis Company, headed by the Belgian industrialist Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain, as well as Boghos Nubar, son of the Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha.-History:The Baron Empain, a well known...
, and later, to RAF Ramleh in the then-British Mandate in Palestine.
Lt Rawnsley was killed in a February 1943 accident, after which Mrs Rawnsley worked with 201 Squadron, Alexandria and was subsequently posted to Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
in February 1944 to work with Gen. Wilson, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in the Middle East. Later she returned to England to work with Duncan Sandys
Duncan Sandys
Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys CH PC was a British politician and a minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s...
, trying to forecast the course of flying bombs (V1s) and rockets (V2s).
In June 1945 she was dispatched on an intelligence mission to the German flying bomb factory in the Harz Mountains, and subsequently wrote a history of the flying bomb for the Air Ministry, leaving the service with the rank of Squadron Leader and a variety of medals in 1945.
Picture Hire Ltd
In 1935, with the backing of Sir Philip SassoonPhilip Sassoon
Sir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon, 3rd Baronet, GBE, CMG , was a British politician, art collector and social host, entertaining many celebrity guests at his homes, Port Lympne, Kent, and Trent Park, Hertfordshire, England.-Family:Sassoon was a member of the prominent Sassoon family and...
, Derek Rawnsley had set up Picture Hire Ltd., which made available for rent original pictures by contemporary artists, and School Prints Ltd., which aimed to loan sets of reproductions to schools so that children could learn about the world's great works of art. With the support of Victor Bonham Carter and architect Raglan Squire
Raglan Squire
Raglan Squire was a renowned British architect known for his building designs in London and many parts of the world. He was also one of the chief architects who rebuilt Eaton Square in London's Belgravia district between 1945 and 1949 as part of the Temporary Housing Programme.-Early life:Raglan...
she followed her late husband's goals of bringing "good" art to schoolchildren who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to enjoy it.
In her introductory letter to artists she wrote: "We are producing a series of auto-lithographs, four for each term, for use in schools, as a means of giving school children an understanding of contemporary art." The majority of the prints were lithographed directly by almost two dozen artists and printed by the Baynard Press. To minimise framing costs, each picture included a decorative border, and they were distributed to schools in redundant cartridge cases bought from the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
.
Later life
In 1949 she married Geoffrey Keighley, and they had one child, a boy. The couple were divorced in 1952. Brenda Keighley also continued the original idea of lending out works, expanding it in the 1950s to "Pictures for Industry", which offered 700 prints for display in factories and workplaces, and "Pictures in Hospitals".In 1971 The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
agreed to sell the remaining stocks of the European series and the rest of the business was sold to Patrick Seale
Patrick Seale
Patrick Abram Seale is a British journalist and author who specialises in the Middle East, as well as a literary agent and art dealer. He is a former correspondent for The Observer and has interviewed many of the Middle East's most prominent leaders and personalities.Seale is the author of a number...
, the paper's Middle East correspondent. Rawnsley was elected to the position of Master of the Fine Art Trade Guild (1961-62). She subsequently worked as a librarian before retiring to Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, where she died, aged 90.