An Officer from Northern Rhodesia, 310: Flt Sgt Cowham by Edith Honor Earl, chalk on paper

Edith Honor Earl made this portrait drawing for her exhibition 'Warriors of the Empire' with the Royal Empire Society, which opened in London’s Grosvenor House in December 1944. It is one of 22 portraits by her in the RAF Museum collection (besides others elsewhere) which celebrate the contributions of Service personnel from the British colonies and Commonwealth in the Second World War.

The niece of writer William Somerset Maugham and daughter of Frederick, 1st Viscount Maugham, Chancellor of the Exchequer under Neville Chamberlain, Earl came from a wealthy and influential background which brought her into contact with society figures whose portraits she drew. Despite her privilege, she volunteered for the war effort, including as an ARP transport driver and running mobile canteens during the Blitz, while she used her influence for philanthropic ends. In 1941 she established the All Nations Voluntary Service League for the welfare of war refugees in Britain and she staged wartime exhibitions of her work in aid of charities. She intended for Warriors of the Empire – a large display of portraits – to raise awareness of, and foster social cohesion with, the ‘thousands of men and women who came from all over the Commonwealth to help win the war … soldiers, sailors and airmen, representing every part of what was then termed the “Dominions” and “Colonies”’. Drawing personnel she met in club rooms or had contacted through Services organisations, she learned about their lives and countries of origin, and was, she explained, ‘saddened to discover how hurt they were by the woeful ignorance and complete lack of interest they found in so many of the people they met in this country’. To celebrate the distinctive identities of her sitters’ native countries, in the corners of the portraits Earl drew small, evocative vignettes of landscapes and landmarks. She hoped to educate people about the origins and cultures of her subjects, and to ‘make the British people more aware of the enormous debt of gratitude we owed to those splendid people’. Earl devoted proceeds of the exhibition to their welfare and hospitality. While names, roles and countries were described by the artist, further research requires to be undertaken to shed more light on the sitters’ biographies and service. The RAF Museum welcomes and encourages the sharing of information which may develop a more detailed record of each sitter. Purchased in 1988. Copyright: the Artist's Estate / RAF Museum.