Bernard Granville Baker

Bernard Granville Baker (23 October 1870 – 12 March 1957) (known as B. Granville Baker) was a British soldier and painter specialising in military subjects. He wrote and illustrated a number of books.

Θάλαττα, θάλαττα — Thalatta! Thalatta! (The Sea! The Sea!) — painting by Bernard Granville Baker, 1901

Life and work

Baker was born in Pune in India. He was the son of Montagu Bernard Baker, who worked for the British East India Company, and his wife Harriet Fanny Bangh.[1]

He was educated at Winchester College and the Military Academy at Dresden. He served in the 21st Hussar regiment in India and Burma. He then joined the 9th Royal Prussian Hussar regiment to fight in the Boer Wars in South Africa in 1900. In the First World War, he became a Lieutenant-Colonel and commanded a battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment.[1] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order medal in 1918.[2]

Baker is known for his illustrations and watercolour paintings of military subjects, such as "Sir John Moore at Corunna, January 16th 1809" in the 1920s.[1] He exhibited his paintings at the Liverpool Walker Art Gallery and London Salon between 1914 and 1930, as well as in his home town of Beccles.[2]

He wrote and illustrated a number of books. From a Terrace in Prague has the dedication "This book is dedicated to a wise and gentle lady who looks out upon life from a terrace",[3] while A Winter Holiday in Portugal has "This book is dedicated to a lady, fair and gracious who lives in Lisbon".[4]

He was a Justice of the Peace for Suffolk. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Royal Historical Society.[2]

Baker died in Beccles in 1957.[1]

Works
  • The Walls of Constantinople (2 volumes, 1910)
  • The Danube with Pen and Pencil (1911)
  • A Winter Holiday in Portugal (1912) (with C. Gasquoine Hartley)[4]
  • The Passing of the Turkish Empire in Europe (1913)
  • The German Army from within (1914) (with Thomas Burke)
  • Hutchinson's History of the Nations (1915, including The Sea! The Sea!)
  • Types of the Allied Armies (1914–1918) (with "Oilette")
  • Soldiers of the World (1914–1918) (with "Oilette")
  • From a Terrace in Prague (1923)[3]
  • Waveney. Illustrated (1924)
  • Blithe Waters: Sheaves out of Suffolk (1931)
  • Old Cavalry Stations (1934)
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References
  1. "Bernard Granville Baker". Military Print Company. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  2. Copsey, Tim. "Bernard Granville Baker (1870–1957)". Ask Art. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  3. From a Terrace in Prague. Free e-book.
  4. A Winter Holiday in Portugal. Free e-book.
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