Flag flown by HMS Warspite at the Battle of Jutland unveiled by NMRN


Lizzie and I did a fair bit of research into WW1 naval vessels as part of our last show, Tanks & Tablecloths: Chapter 2 at Plymouth Arts Centre. So I was delighted to discover the news that some of the ensign flags from ships that took part in the Battle of Jutland will be displayed at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth in 2016. The top image shows the silk flag from the HMS Warspite, whose long life came to an in 1947 on the rocks of Prussia Cove here in Cornwall, on her way to be scrapped after an illustrious thirty year career.

The bottom image is a work we made for TNT Chapter 2 about Warspite. Belli Dura Despicio (Broadside) is a 29.7km line printed on 150 broadside newsprint sheets. The length of the line relates to the maximum distance of a broadside from Warspite's 15 inch guns.