The Airmens' Mess

Alan Sorrell 1904 - 1974

Summary

Interior scene. Group of men eating in a refectory, there are three rows of tables in the rmiddle of the room and windows at either a side. In the foreground one can see men queuing. Alan Sorrell was a student at the Royal College of Art during the mid-1920s. He later taught there from 1931 to 1948. He served as an airman in the Royal Air Force during World War II. This direct experience resulted in a series of post-war drawings of his daily life in wartime Britain. He was not an Official War Artist (his application was turned down) so he was able to choose the subject of his work.