Derek Gardner
Encyclopedia
Derek George Montague Gardner (13 February 1914-11 February 2007) is best known as an English
painter
. After a career as a civil engineer
before and after serving in the Royal Navy
in the Second World War, he became widely recognised as one of the leading English painters of marine subjects.
. His father was a civil engineer
who worked for the Great Central Railway
in the docks at Grimsby
and became chief engineer of the Port of Glasgow in 1928, and Gardner developed a love of ships.
He was educated at Oundle School
, where he won a prize for his drawing. He left school in 1931, and trained as a civil engineer in Glasgow
with the London Midland & Scottish Railway. He later joined Sir William Arrol & Co.
He joined the RNVR as a 20-year-old midshipman
, and took up painting watercolours of warships. He became a docks engineer at North Shields
in 1938.
destroyer
HMS Broke
. His ship escorted convoys in the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean
s, and was then posted to the Mediterranean to support the Operation Torch
landings in North Africa
.
He joined Operation Terminal
, the storming of Algiers
harbour in November 1942. The destroyers HMS Broke and HMS Malcolm
were tasked with securing the port facilities and power station at Algiers. Malcolm came under fire and was forced to withdraw with engine damage, but Broke rammed through a boom protecting the harbour and disembarked its shore party. Broke then also came under heavy fire from Vichy French forces and was force to withdraw. Broke sank the next day while heading for Gibraltar
. Her crew, including Gardner, were rescued by the destroyer HMS Zetland and returned to Algiers, now captured by the Allies, before returning to England on a Dutch liner. The convoy was attacked by a submarine: the escort carrier immediately ahead, HMS Avenger
, was torpedo
ed and sank. Gardner had been injured in Algiers, and was rendered deaf in one ear. He was later mentioned in dispatches
for his actions.
He joined the destroyer HMS Highlander in 1943, serving again in the Atlantic, but his deafness then forced him to serve on land rather than at sea. He was promoted to lieutenant commander
and served on the staff of Admiral Sir Max Horton, commander of the Western Approaches
based in Liverpool
. By the end of the war, he was an acting commander
, serving as Assistant Chief Staff Officer Ceylon, based in Colombo
. He was demobilised in 1946.
He was awarded the Volunteer Reserve Decoration
(VRD).
after the war, serving in Kenya
from 1951. He met his wife, Mary, at a dance in Mombasa
. He then worked as an engineer in west Kenya, living in Kisumu
beside Lake Victoria
, before moving to Nakuru
, where he painted oils, watercolours and pastels of local scenes, such as flamingos on a nearby soda lake.
He caught tick
typhus
, and became deaf in both ears. He returned to England with his family in 1963, and retired to Dorset
. He turned to painting maritime subjects. His detailed paintings found a ready market, and he held several exhibitions in London. He is best known for his paintings of warships from the Napoleonic Wars
, and paintings of clipper
s from later in the 19th century.
An exhibition of his work at Messum's
gallery in Mayfair
in October 2005, the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar
, included paintings of every ship in which Nelson
had served. A book of the paintings, Nelson's Ships: A Trafalgar Tribute.
He was a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers
, and also a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists
.
He was survived by his wife, and their son and daughter.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. After a career as a civil engineer
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
before and after serving in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in the Second World War, he became widely recognised as one of the leading English painters of marine subjects.
Early life
Gardner was born in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. His father was a civil engineer
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
who worked for the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
in the docks at Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
and became chief engineer of the Port of Glasgow in 1928, and Gardner developed a love of ships.
He was educated at Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
, where he won a prize for his drawing. He left school in 1931, and trained as a civil engineer in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
with the London Midland & Scottish Railway. He later joined Sir William Arrol & Co.
Sir William Arrol & Co.
Sir William Arrol & Co. was a leading Scottish civil engineering business founded by William Arrol and based in Glasgow. It built some of the most famous bridges in the United Kingdom including the Forth Bridge and Tower Bridge in London.-Early history:...
He joined the RNVR as a 20-year-old midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
, and took up painting watercolours of warships. He became a docks engineer at North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
in 1938.
Second World War
Gardner was called up in August 1939, shortly after the Second World War broke out, and served as anti-submarine officer on the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMS Broke
HMS Broke (D83)
HMS Broke was a Thornycroft type flotilla leader of the Royal Navy. She was the second of four ships of this class that were ordered from J I Thornycroft in April 1918, and was originally named Rooke after Rear Admiral Sir George Rooke of the Dutch Wars and the Battle of Vigo Bay.-Construction:She...
. His ship escorted convoys in the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
s, and was then posted to the Mediterranean to support the Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
landings 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...
.
He joined Operation Terminal
Operation Terminal
Operation Terminal was an Allied operation during World War II. Part of Operation Torch it involved a direct landing of infantry into the Vichy French port of Algiers with the intention of capturing the port facilities before they could be destroyed.-Background:The attacking forces were two Royal...
, the storming of 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...
harbour in November 1942. The destroyers HMS Broke and HMS Malcolm
HMS Malcolm (D19)
HMS Malcolm was one of eight Admiralty-type destroyer leaders built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was the first of only two Royal Navy ships to carry the name Malcolm, although HMS Valkyrie was originally planned to bear the name...
were tasked with securing the port facilities and power station at Algiers. Malcolm came under fire and was forced to withdraw with engine damage, but Broke rammed through a boom protecting the harbour and disembarked its shore party. Broke then also came under heavy fire from Vichy French forces and was force to withdraw. Broke sank the next day while heading for Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. Her crew, including Gardner, were rescued by the destroyer HMS Zetland and returned to Algiers, now captured by the Allies, before returning to England on a Dutch liner. The convoy was attacked by a submarine: the escort carrier immediately ahead, HMS Avenger
HMS Avenger (D14)
HMS Avenger was a Royal Navy escort aircraft carrier during the Second World War. In 1939 she was laid down as the merchant ship Rio-Hudson at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company yard in Chester, Pennsylvania. Launched on 27 November 1940, she was converted to an escort carrier and transferred...
, was torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sank. Gardner had been injured in Algiers, and was rendered deaf in one ear. He was later mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
for his actions.
He joined the destroyer HMS Highlander in 1943, serving again in the Atlantic, but his deafness then forced him to serve on land rather than at sea. He was promoted to lieutenant commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
and served on the staff of Admiral Sir Max Horton, commander of the Western Approaches
Western Approaches
The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...
based in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. By the end of the war, he was an acting commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, serving as Assistant Chief Staff Officer Ceylon, based in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. He was demobilised in 1946.
He was awarded the Volunteer Reserve Decoration
Volunteer Reserve Decoration
The Volunteer Reserve Decoration was awarded to commissioned officers in the United Kingdom's Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for long service and good conduct.The VRD was established in 1908...
(VRD).
Post-war career
Gardner joined the Colonial ServiceColonial Service
The Colonial Service was the British government service which administered Britain's colonies and protectorates, under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office in London....
after the war, serving in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
from 1951. He met his wife, Mary, at a dance in Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
. He then worked as an engineer in west Kenya, living in Kisumu
Kisumu
Kisumu is a port city in western Kenya at , with a population of 355,024 . It is the third largest city in Kenya, the principal city of western Kenya, the immediate former capital of Nyanza Province and the headquarters of Kisumu County. It has a municipal charter but no city charter...
beside Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, before moving to Nakuru
Nakuru
Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...
, where he painted oils, watercolours and pastels of local scenes, such as flamingos on a nearby soda lake.
He caught tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
, and became deaf in both ears. He returned to England with his family in 1963, and retired to Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. He turned to painting maritime subjects. His detailed paintings found a ready market, and he held several exhibitions in London. He is best known for his paintings of warships from the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, and paintings of clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
s from later in the 19th century.
An exhibition of his work at Messum's
Messum's
Messum's is one of the best known art galleries in Cork Street, Mayfair, a street with a concentration of art galleries in London, England. It was founded by David Messum in 1963...
gallery in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
in October 2005, the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
, included paintings of every ship in which Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
had served. A book of the paintings, Nelson's Ships: A Trafalgar Tribute.
He was a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
, and also a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists
Royal Society of Marine Artists
The Royal Society of Marine Artists is an association of artists in London, England, that promotes contemporary marine art. This includes painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture.-History:...
.
He was survived by his wife, and their son and daughter.