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Through the creation and sharing of art, the people who have fought, survived and returned from the many theatres of war are regularly remembered and often revered as heroes. Art is an open doorway used to recall the lasting impact of war without celebrating the brutality, pain, and loss of combat.



Remembrance Day each year is an ideal opportunity to delve into the volumes of well known, and well-regarded art from different warfare. Moving the gaze away from the primary depictions of white European men in highly decorated uniforms, there are images that show that the colour of war, under the umbrella of the far-reaching British Empire, is far from monotone.



More here: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-colour-of-war

Artists featured in this Curation: Desmond Doig (1921–1983), Robert M. Jones, Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928), Fordyce, William Menzies Coldstream (1908–1987), Edward Eugene Louis Mortelmans (1915–2008), Steve Joyce (b.1956), Marcel Watkins, Peter Milner (b.1951), Vereker Monteith Hamilton (1856–1931), and 46 more
72 artworks
Rifleman Thaman Gurung (1924–1944), VC, 1st Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Rifleman Thaman Gurung (1924–1944), VC, 1st Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) c.1945

Desmond Doig (1921–1983)

Oil on canvas

H 57 x W 43 cm

National Army Museum

A Soldier of Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles on Duty in Kosovo
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Hart District Council

A Soldier of Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles on Duty in Kosovo

Robert M. Jones

Oil on canvas

H 74 x W 56 cm

Hart District Council

Subadar Major Judbhir Thapa, 2nd (Prince of Wales’s Own) Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles)
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Subadar Major Judbhir Thapa, 2nd (Prince of Wales’s Own) Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles) 1893

Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)

Oil on canvas

H 60.1 x W 50.8 cm

National Army Museum

Major Narbir Thupa
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Royal Military Police Museum

Major Narbir Thupa 1964

Fordyce

Oil on wood

H 54 x W 45 cm

Royal Military Police Museum

Havildar Kulbir Thapa, 2/3 Gurkha Regiment
Photo credit: Bridgeman Images

Havildar Kulbir Thapa, 2/3 Gurkha Regiment 1943

William Menzies Coldstream (1908–1987)

Oil on canvas

H 91.4 x W 71.7 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Sepoy (acting Naik, Later Jemadar) Nand Singh (1914–1947), 1st Battalion 11th Sikh Regiment, Winning the Victoria Cross at the Arakan, Burma, 12 March 1944
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Sepoy (acting Naik, Later Jemadar) Nand Singh (1914–1947), 1st Battalion 11th Sikh Regiment, Winning the Victoria Cross at the Arakan, Burma, 12 March 1944 c.1948

Edward Eugene Louis Mortelmans (1915–2008)

Oil on canvas

H 42.2 x W 76 cm

National Army Museum

War Memorial for Sikh Soldiers
© the copyright holders. Photo credit: Paul Francis / Art UK

War Memorial for Sikh Soldiers 2019

Steve Joyce (b.1956) and Marcel Watkins (active 2019) and Peter Milner (b.1951)

Corten steel & granite

Ganda Singh, a Sikh Chaprasi (messenger) of Colonel Wilmer's Topographical No. 14 Survey Party
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Ganda Singh, a Sikh Chaprasi (messenger) of Colonel Wilmer's Topographical No. 14 Survey Party 1894

Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)

Oil on canvas

H 59.9 x W 50.8 cm

National Army Museum

Gunga, a Hindu from Oudh and a Chaprasi (messenger) of No. 22 Astronomical Survey Party (of which Captain Sidney Burrard was in charge)
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Gunga, a Hindu from Oudh and a Chaprasi (messenger) of No. 22 Astronomical Survey Party (of which Captain Sidney Burrard was in charge) 1894

Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)

Oil on canvas

H 59.3 x W 44.2 cm

National Army Museum

Ganda Singh, a Sikh Chaprasi (messenger) of Colonel Wilmer’s Topographical No. 14 Survey Party
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Ganda Singh, a Sikh Chaprasi (messenger) of Colonel Wilmer’s Topographical No. 14 Survey Party 1894

Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)

Oil on canvas

H 62.6 x W 46.8 cm

National Army Museum

Subadar Major Judbhir Thapa, 2nd (Prince of Wales’s Own) Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles)
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Subadar Major Judbhir Thapa, 2nd (Prince of Wales’s Own) Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles) 1893

Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)

Oil on canvas

H 70.8 x W 50.8 cm

National Army Museum

Maung Pe, a Chaprasi (messenger) in the Triangulation Survey Party
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Maung Pe, a Chaprasi (messenger) in the Triangulation Survey Party 1892

Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)

Oil on canvas

H 60.6 x W 46 cm

National Army Museum

The Storming of the Heights of Dargai
Photo credit: The Gordon Highlanders Museum

The Storming of the Heights of Dargai 1905

Vereker Monteith Hamilton (1856–1931)

Oil on canvas

H 104 x W 136 cm

The Gordon Highlanders Museum

Subadar Khudadad Khan (1888–1971), VC, 10th Baluch Regiment
© National Army Museum. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Subadar Khudadad Khan (1888–1971), VC, 10th Baluch Regiment 1952

Henry Charles Bevan-Petman (1894–1980)

Oil on canvas

H 76.2 x W 69.8 cm

National Army Museum

Sepoy (later Subadar) Namdeo Jadhav (c.1922–1984), VC, 1st Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Sepoy (later Subadar) Namdeo Jadhav (c.1922–1984), VC, 1st Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry c.1945

Marie Temple

Oil on canvas

H 71.2 x W 55.9 cm

National Army Museum

I Was There IV
© the artist. Photo credit: Barbara Walker

I Was There IV 2019

Barbara Walker (b.1964)

Pen & ink on tracing paper over digital print

H 49 x W 39 cm

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

I Was There V
© the artist. Photo credit: Barbara Walker

I Was There V 2019

Barbara Walker (b.1964)

Pen & ink on tracing paper over digital print

H 49 x W 39 cm

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

Jemadar Abdul Hafiz (1925–1944), VC, 9th Jat Regiment, 1944
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Jemadar Abdul Hafiz (1925–1944), VC, 9th Jat Regiment, 1944 1965

Lesley Franklyn (b.1900)

Oil on canvas

H 51 x W 41 cm

National Army Museum

Sepoy Kamal Ram (1924–1982), VC, 8th Punjab Regiment
Photo credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Sepoy Kamal Ram (1924–1982), VC, 8th Punjab Regiment 1944

Henry Marvell Carr (1894–1970)

Oil on canvas

H 90.1 x W 74.9 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Naik Yeshwant Ghadge (1921–1944), VC, 3rd Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, c.1944
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Naik Yeshwant Ghadge (1921–1944), VC, 3rd Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, c.1944 c.1945

Marie Temple

Oil on canvas

H 72.4 x W 55.8 cm

National Army Museum

Regimental Sergeant Major Sulimani, 3rd Battalion, King’s African Rifles
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Regimental Sergeant Major Sulimani, 3rd Battalion, King’s African Rifles c.1939

Dorothy King (active c.1939)

Oil on board

H 61 x W 40 cm

National Army Museum

Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma, c.1944
© National Army Museum. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma, c.1944 1991

Hugh Ralph Micklem (1918–2009)

Oil on canvas

H 72 x W 92 cm

National Army Museum

A Jemadar of Indian Cavalry, 1938
Photo credit: National Army Museum

A Jemadar of Indian Cavalry, 1938 c.1938

David S. Barrow (Major) (1911–1944)

Oil on canvas

H 56 x W 31 cm

National Army Museum

Soldier of the King's African Rifles, Ceremonial Dress
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: The Royal Logistic Corps Museum

Soldier of the King's African Rifles, Ceremonial Dress 1962

J. Gilson

Oil on canvas

H 53 x W 45 cm

The Royal Logistic Corps Museum

Askari, Corporal of the 5th Kings African Rifles
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Cheshire Military Museum

Askari, Corporal of the 5th Kings African Rifles 1963

Gaby Remnant

Oil on canvas

H 70 x W 55 cm

Cheshire Military Museum

Sergeant Ali Jebba, Royal West African Frontier Force
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Sergeant Ali Jebba, Royal West African Frontier Force c.1945

unknown artist

Oil on canvas

H 76.5 x W 61.5 cm

National Army Museum

Captain Effendi Juma, 3rd Battalion, King’s African Rifles
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Captain Effendi Juma, 3rd Battalion, King’s African Rifles c.1939

Dorothy King (active c.1939)

Oil on board

H 41 x W 31 cm

National Army Museum

Piper, 42nd Deoli Regiment, c.1914
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Piper, 42nd Deoli Regiment, c.1914 c.1914

unknown artist

Oil on canvas

H 86.5 x W 43.5 cm

National Army Museum

War Memorial Maquette
Photo credit: The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

War Memorial Maquette 1922

John Tweed (1869–1933)

Bronze

The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

Major Mahomed Akbar Khan, Commanding Officer, 29 Mule Coy, Royal Indian Army Service Corps
Photo credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Major Mahomed Akbar Khan, Commanding Officer, 29 Mule Coy, Royal Indian Army Service Corps 1941

Henry Lamb (1883–1960)

Oil on canvas

H 60.9 x W 50.8 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Indian Army Wounded in Hospital in the Dome, Brighton
Photo credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Indian Army Wounded in Hospital in the Dome, Brighton c.1919

Douglas Fox-Pitt (1864–1922)

Oil on canvas

H 60.9 x W 50.8 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Indian Army Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force, c.1863
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Indian Army Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force, c.1863 c.1910

Charles Gordon Hayward (1886–1917)

Oil on canvas

H 127.6 x W 102.1 cm

National Army Museum

Subadar Major Ganpat Rai Kohli, OBI, Royal Indian Army Service Corps
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Subadar Major Ganpat Rai Kohli, OBI, Royal Indian Army Service Corps c.1946

Samuel Tom

Oil on canvas

H 34.9 x W 24.4 cm

National Army Museum

Memorial Panel to British, Indian and Gurkha Soldiers in the Indian Army (1746–1947) 1971

John Stephen Skelton (1923–1999)

Marble

St Paul's Cathedral

Interior of the Pavilion, Brighton: Indian Army Wounded
© the artist's estate. Photo credit: IWM Art.IWM ART 116

Interior of the Pavilion, Brighton: Indian Army Wounded c.1917

Charles Henry Harrison Burleigh (1869–1956)

Oil on canvas

H 55.8 x W 45.7 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Nigerian Orderly Sergeant
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Police Service of Northern Ireland

Nigerian Orderly Sergeant 1949

Lash

Oil on board

H 50 x W 40 cm

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Havildar (later Honorary Captain) Gaje Ghale (1919–2000), VC, 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
© the artist's estate. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Havildar (later Honorary Captain) Gaje Ghale (1919–2000), VC, 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 1943

Simon Elwes (1902–1975)

Oil on canvas

H 57.8 x W 46.4 cm

National Army Museum

Subedar-Major Musank Khan
Photo credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Subedar-Major Musank Khan 1945

Leslie Cole (1910–1976)

Oil on canvas

H 67.3 x W 43.1 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington and Marcus Richard Fitzroy Thomas 1782

Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792)

Oil on canvas

H 236.2 x W 142.2 cm

Yale Center for British Art

Italian Prisoners of War Working on the Land
Photo credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Italian Prisoners of War Working on the Land 1942

Michael Ford (1920–2005)

Oil on canvas

H 76.2 x W 91.4 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Tunumiu Woman*
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

Tunumiu Woman* 1937

Eigil Knuth (1903–1996)

Plaster

H 44 x W 22 x D 23 cm

Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

A Pathan Sowar, 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force)
Photo credit: National Army Museum

A Pathan Sowar, 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) c.1908

Leila Kathleen Williamson (1859–1939)

Oil on canvas

H 55.5 x W 44.1 cm

National Army Museum

A Sergeant of a Cavalry Regiment
Photo credit: National Army Museum

A Sergeant of a Cavalry Regiment c.1830

unknown artist

Oil on canvas

H 85.6 x W 65 cm

National Army Museum

Kenyan Soldier
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

Kenyan Soldier

unknown artist

Bronze

Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

Captain Atal: Served at Keren, Eritrea
Photo credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Captain Atal: Served at Keren, Eritrea 1941

Henry Marvell Carr (1894–1970)

Oil on canvas

H 111.7 x W 86.3 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Sudanese Guard
© the artist. Photo credit: National Army Museum

Sudanese Guard 1953

Ralph Lillford (1932–2019)

Oil on canvas

H 60.96 x W 53.34 cm

National Army Museum

Walter Tull (1883–1918)
© the artist. Photo credit: West Northamptonshire Council

Walter Tull (1883–1918) 2017

Richard Austin (b.1959)

Cold cast bronze

H 189 x W 79.5 x D 68 cm

West Northamptonshire Council

A Sudanese Fighter
Photo credit: Guernsey Museums and Galleries

A Sudanese Fighter 1886

Arthur von Ferraris (1856–1936)

Oil on canvas

H 35.2 x W 28.5 cm

Guernsey Museums and Galleries

Jemadar Jangia Thapa, 5th Gurkha Regiment
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Jemadar Jangia Thapa, 5th Gurkha Regiment 1890

Frederick Swynnerton (1858–1918)

Oil on canvas

H 61.3 x W 50.8 cm

National Army Museum

Rissaldar Mohubut Khan, Bahadur, 2nd Scinde Irregular Horse
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Rissaldar Mohubut Khan, Bahadur, 2nd Scinde Irregular Horse 1852

Alexander Sandor Svoboda (1826–1896)

Oil on canvas

H 33.3 x W 27.8 cm

National Army Museum

2nd Battalion 5th Gurkha Rifles at Ahnai Tangi, North-West Frontier, India, 14 January 1920
Photo credit: National Army Museum

2nd Battalion 5th Gurkha Rifles at Ahnai Tangi, North-West Frontier, India, 14 January 1920 c.1920

Fred Roe (1864–1947)

Oil on canvas

H 55.9 x W 76.2 cm

National Army Museum

Sowars of the 19th Regiment of Bengal Lancers in Afghanistan
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Sowars of the 19th Regiment of Bengal Lancers in Afghanistan c.1880

unknown artist

Oil on canvas

H 143.8 x W 204.5 cm

National Army Museum

First World War: The Red Cross in the Trenches
Photo credit: Wellcome Collection

First World War: The Red Cross in the Trenches

Cyrus Cuneo (1879–1916)

Oil on canvas

H 35.1 x W 21.6 cm

Wellcome Collection

A Sikh: Atma Singh
Photo credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)

A Sikh: Atma Singh 1943

John Leslie Berry (1920–2009)

Oil on canvas

H 76.2 x W 63.5 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Johnson Gideon Beharry
© National Portrait Gallery, London. Photo credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

Johnson Gideon Beharry 2006

Emma Wesley (b.1979)

Acrylic on panel

H 80.4 x W 33.6 cm

National Portrait Gallery, London

Rifleman Mangal Singh, 2/6 Rajput Rifles
Photo credit: Bridgeman Images

Rifleman Mangal Singh, 2/6 Rajput Rifles c.1943–1945

William Menzies Coldstream (1908–1987)

Oil on canvas

H 60.9 x W 48.2 cm

IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji (1918–2010)
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Tracy Jenkins / Art UK
1st Battalion Parachute Regiment, D Company, 12 Platoon, 3 Section
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: Airborne Assault Museum

1st Battalion Parachute Regiment, D Company, 12 Platoon, 3 Section

Phylis E. Fraser

Oil on canvas

H 84 x W 69 cm

Airborne Assault Museum

A British Officer of a Madras Sepoy Battalion, Possibly Captain Mathias Calvert (1733–1779), Attended by a Young Sepoy or Servant
Photo credit: National Army Museum

A British Officer of a Madras Sepoy Battalion, Possibly Captain Mathias Calvert (1733–1779), Attended by a Young Sepoy or Servant c.1769

Christoph Adam Carl Freiherr von Imhoff (1734–1788)

Oil on canvas

H 75.9 x W 63.2 cm

National Army Museum

Three Young Recruits of the Madras Infantry, Madras Light Cavalry and Madras Sappers and Miners
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Three Young Recruits of the Madras Infantry, Madras Light Cavalry and Madras Sappers and Miners 1899

unknown artist

Oil on canvas

H 49.5 x W 56.8 cm

National Army Museum

7th (Bengal) Mountain Battery Going into Action near Kaniguram, Waziristan, 1920
© National Army Museum. Photo credit: National Army Museum

7th (Bengal) Mountain Battery Going into Action near Kaniguram, Waziristan, 1920 1984

Ralph N. Webber

Oil on canvas

H 51.2 x W 61.3 cm

National Army Museum

A Picket, 20th (Punjab) Regiment of (Bengal) Native Infantry, North-West Frontier
Photo credit: National Army Museum

A Picket, 20th (Punjab) Regiment of (Bengal) Native Infantry, North-West Frontier c.1868

Walter Fane (Brevet General) (1828–1885)

Oil on canvas

H 45.6 x W 36.1 cm

National Army Museum

J. P. Sanders (d.1848), Indian Navy
Photo credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

J. P. Sanders (d.1848), Indian Navy 19th C

British School

Oil on canvas

H 76.2 x W 63.5 cm

National Maritime Museum

General Lord Rawlinson of Trent (1864–1925), GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG
Photo credit: National Army Museum

General Lord Rawlinson of Trent (1864–1925), GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG 1925

Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley (1880–1952)

Oil on canvas

H 152.4 x W 101 cm

National Army Museum

Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford (1832–1914), VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, c.1904
Photo credit: National Army Museum

Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford (1832–1914), VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, c.1904 1917

Frank Markham Skipworth (1854–1929)

Oil on canvas

H 127.6 x W 102.2 cm

National Army Museum

Naik Dilbahadur Rana, Orderly to Major Geoffrey Maycock of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force)
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: The Gurkha Museum

Naik Dilbahadur Rana, Orderly to Major Geoffrey Maycock of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) c.1946

Desmond Doig (1921–1983)

Oil on canvas

H 55.5 x W 41 cm

The Gurkha Museum

Rifleman (Acting Naik, Later Subadar) Agansing Rai (1920–2000), VC, 2nd Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) c.1944

Desmond Doig (1921–1983)

Oil on canvas

H 57.2 x W 50.1 cm

National Army Museum

Sikh Memorial
© the copyright holder. Photo credit: David Wright / Art UK

Sikh Memorial 2019

Jaydeep Apte (b.1985)

Indian bronze & Yorkshire stone

H 183 cm

Indian Corps of Drums
Photo credit: Cheshire Military Museum

Indian Corps of Drums 1918

James Arthur Pownall (active 1893–1931)

Oil on canvas

H 59.4 x W 48.8 cm

Cheshire Military Museum

General Sir Charles Napier (1782–1853)
Photo credit: Cheshire Military Museum

General Sir Charles Napier (1782–1853)

unknown artist

Oil on canvas

H 150 x W 98 cm

Cheshire Military Museum

Arthur Roberts (1897–1982) 2021

Chloe Cox (b.1997)

Oil on canvas

H 60.6 x W 50.2 cm

English Heritage, Berwick-Upon-Tweed Barracks and Main Guard

The Battle of Isandlwana, 22 January 1879
Photo credit: National Army Museum

The Battle of Isandlwana, 22 January 1879 c.1885

Charles Edwin Fripp (1854–1906)

Oil on canvas

H 142.2 x W 223.2 cm

National Army Museum