British War Memorials Committee facts for kids

The British War Memorials Committee (BWMC) was a special group set up by the British government in 1918. Its main job was to ask artists to create paintings and sculptures. These artworks were meant to be a lasting way to remember the First World War.

The Committee started in February 1918. It grew out of a government department that had been making war posters and supporting artists during the war. When this department became the Ministry of Information, Lord Beaverbrook was put in charge. Lord Beaverbrook had seen how well Canada's government was supporting artists during the war, and he wanted Britain to do something similar.

Lord Beaverbrook wanted the BWMC to focus on creating art that would have a long-lasting national value, not just temporary propaganda. He worked with Arnold Bennett, a famous writer, to make this happen. They were keen to give chances to young and modern artists, even those with new and different styles, rather than just older, more traditional artists.

Who Was on the Committee?

The British War Memorials Committee had several important people as its first members:

• Lord Rothermere was the leader, or Chairman, of the Committee.
• Alfred Yockney, who used to edit The Art Journal, was the Secretary.
• Lord Beaverbrook was a key member.
• Arnold Bennett, the famous writer, was also on the team.
• Paul G. Konody, an art critic, helped choose artists.
• Charles Masterman was another member.
• Muirhead Bone, an artist, was part of the group.
• Robbie Ross, Campbell Dodgson, and Thomas Derrick were art advisors.
• Artists like William Orpen and Henry Tonks also gave advice to the Committee.

How the Committee Worked

The Committee planned to create a national Hall of Remembrance in London. This building would display all the new artworks. Architect Charles Holden was asked to design this special building. He imagined it as a "kind of Pavilion" with a garden, leading to a main gallery and a prayer room. However, this grand building was never built.

Robert Ross, one of the art advisors, suggested that artists use specific canvas sizes. This would make the pictures look like a unified collection for the memorial. He suggested two main sizes, inspired by famous historical paintings. There would also be smaller pictures and four very large "super-pictures." These huge paintings, 20 feet long and 7 feet high, would show Britain working with its allies.

The BWMC had three different plans, or "schemes," for artists, depending on the amount and type of work they would create.

Scheme One: Big Memorial Paintings

This scheme was for artists creating one large painting for the main gallery of the planned Hall of Remembrance.

• Artists were paid £600 for a "super-picture" (20 by 7 feet).
• They received £300 for slightly smaller large canvases.
• Smaller works were bought for £150.
• Famous artists like John Singer Sargent, Augustus John, and Philip Wilson Steer were part of Scheme One.

Scheme Two: Supporting Young Artists

This plan was for younger artists. It helped them focus fully on their art for six months.

• Artists were paid £300 per year, plus any military pay they were getting.
• They had to give all their artwork from that time to the Committee.
• They also had to create at least one large "memorial" sized painting.
• Artists like Paul Nash, John Nash, and William Roberts were in Scheme Two.
• John Laviers Wheatley was very productive, creating about 40 naval artworks.

Scheme Three: Buying Selected Works

This scheme allowed the BWMC to have the first chance to buy artworks from artists. In return, the artists got help and access to places they needed for their work.

• Artists like JD Fergusson, Frank Dobson, and William Rothenstein used this scheme.

The Committee tried to get 16 artists released from front-line military service in March 1918. The War Office did not allow Eric Gill or Jacob Epstein to be released. For others, like Stanley Spencer, the war ended before their requests were processed.

Although Muirhead Bone suggested many talented women artists, the BWMC only asked three women to join: Anna Airy, Dorothy Coke, and Flora Lion. However, the Committee did not end up buying any paintings from them.

Why the Committee Ended

Not everyone supported the British War Memorials Committee. Some people in the government, especially in the Treasury, felt that the government should not be paying for art. Also, the new Imperial War Museum believed that collecting war art was their job.

Lord Beaverbrook himself faced criticism from rival newspapers. Towards the end of the war, the government said that money from BWMC art exhibitions could go to war charities. However, Lord Beaverbrook had already secretly registered a private charity called the "British War Memorials Fund."

A government official objected, saying that Beaverbrook couldn't raise money for a private charity using government-funded art. The artists had also worked for lower fees because it was for the national interest. If Beaverbrook wanted the BWMC to continue as a private charity, it needed to be separate from the government and raise its own money.

Because of these issues, Lord Beaverbrook stopped the scheme. The war art collection was then put under the control of a new "Pictorial Propaganda Committee" within the Ministry of Information. This new committee quickly decided to stop the sculpture plans and the Hall of Remembrance project. However, they kept the existing painting commissions. They also decided that the Imperial War Museum (IWM) would be the permanent home for the collection. In January 1919, Alfred Yockney, the BWMC's Secretary, joined the IWM to help with this change.

What Was Left Behind?

The British War Memorials Committee left behind a very important collection of art from World War I. This includes 17 large paintings that were meant for the Hall of Remembrance. Two of the most famous are Gassed by John Singer Sargent and The Menin Road by Paul Nash. There were also two large sculptures by Charles Sargeant Jagger and Gilbert Ledward, plus many smaller paintings by 31 different artists.

The way the BWMC was set up and how it worked became a model for future art projects. For example, Kenneth Clark used it as a guide for the much larger War Artists' Advisory Committee during the Second World War.