Stoked with this buy! FEPOW Artwork with a family connection.

[slick_mick]

Hey Guys,

It's been a great week for me!

I was able to buy these 3 portraits via a seller on UK ebay.

Here's the awesome part: my grandfather drew them in Stanley Camp, Hong Kong during WW2 when he was an internee/POW of the Japanese there. He was a member of the Hong Kong Police.

I'm super stoked with being able to buy these.

The guy is Stewart 'Tootie' Begg of the HKVDC. His wife was one of the nurses who was killed when the Japanese rampaged with bayonets through St Stephens College and killed the wounded and medical staff.

He met Joan Armstrong (the lady in the other portraits) in Stanley Camp and they later got married. After liberation there was an awkward moment when Tootie's ex wife's family met them when they arrived by ship in the UK.

My grandfather did about 200 of these portraits and other drawings in Stanley Camp. He was only able to do them as the Japanese commandant found out he was an artist and dispatched a squad of soldiers to get his art suppliers from him mother-in-law (my great grandmother) who was a single Russian lady living in HK (being Russian she wasn't interned yet my grandparents decided to become naturalised British).

Most of the drawings end up being repatriated back to the UK or Europe with their subjects (he didn't bring back any himself as he did them all for other people) so I am super excited to have these examples of his wartime art.

Mick

[btns]

Good job, congrats!

[Sunray9]

Outstanding !!

[Drummajor]

Well Done Mick.
Phil.

[slick_mick]

Thanks guys!

[Artynut]

That must be the most awesome account I’ve read of items “finding “ their way back home! I can’t imagine your heart thumping elation when you received them. Fate was smiling on you Mick. Best regards and congratulations. David J.