Spanish Refugees Being Fitted with Gasmasks by Olga Lehmann, ink on paper

This ink drawing is one of several by Lehmann in the collection that document scenes of shelter and bomb damage during the London Blitz (1940–1941).

In this sketch, a room of men and women with child refugees from the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) gather together as some try on gas masks. From 1937 the Spanish Republican authorities arranged the evacuation of children to Britain, four hundred of whom remained in the country throughout the Second World War. Refugee colonies, some of which were large and accommodated a hundred or so children, were supported by churches and political and humanitarian groups. Purchased in 1990. Copyright: the artist's estate / RAF Museum.