The C.O. Goes His Rounds: Inspection of Troop Decks

WAG 965

Information

Edward Ardizzone accompanied troops going to the Middle East in 1942. While on the troopship he kept a tiny book in which he made ideas for drawings. He worked up this drawing when he arrived in Cairo, Egypt. ‘C. O.’ stands for Commanding Officer. From 1919 to 1926, Ardizzone went to evening classes at Westminster School of Art. By the Second World War he was a successful artist and illustrator of children’s books. He was one of the first Official War Artists to be appointed. Ardizzone made hundreds of drawings based on his experiences of war.