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Oil on canvas, 76.5 x 114.5 cm
This painting was commissioned by the Maritime Museum for its displays commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic in 1993. This aerial view looking north from above the South Docks shows the convoy coming up the Mersey with Liverpool on the right hand bank and Birkenhead and the Wirral to the left.
The first ships in the convoy are entering Brunswick Dock at the southern end of the docks and other ships are heading for the Birkenhead Docks and the North Docks. On the Liverpool side, the Landing Stage and the Port of Liverpool Building with its distinctive cupolas are the only specific features visible. A lone barrage balloon is a reminder of the threat from air attack which was a regular feature of life in the city.
At the request of the Maritime Museum, this painting was based on an earlier canvas of the same scene commissioned by the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth in 1976. The artist served in the Royal Navy in the Western Approaches during the war. On completing the present painting, he commented:
"I can only try to relive what I saw nearly 50 years ago, which was a very sombre scene of a battered city and port."