02 Works, The Art of War, Eric Kennington's Bantam Hercules and Raider with a Cosh, with footnotes

Eric Kennington 1888–1960

A Bantam Hercules, c. 1917

Charcoal on paper

762 × 483 mm

Tate

This drawing was reproduced in a volume called British Artists at the Front published in 1918.

The accompanying commentary noted that, at the beginning of the first world war, army recruits under 5 feet 2 inches tall were rejected. But ‘in the factory districts of Lancashire and Cheshire, the average stature is lower’. The desire to volunteer for the army was so strong that men between 5 feet and 5 feet 2 inches tall were recruited for ‘Bantam’ battalions. Kennington selected this man for ‘his exceptional strength and vitality’. Gallery label, December 2004

Eric Kennington 1888–1960

Raider with a Cosh, c. 1917

Pastel on paper

629 × 470 mm

Tate

A Cosh is a small well-made leather bound baton comprising spring body and weighted slightly bulbous head; the cosh is entirely covered in light tan finished leather.

The Cosh is associated with the Second World War experiences (in North Africa and Palestine) of Sergeant Kenneth Merton, who served with the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) and the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC). The weapon is believed to have been used unofficially for personal protection and to discourage intruders in camp and tent lines. More on the Cosh

Eric Henri Kennington (12 March 1888 – 13 April 1960) was an English sculptor, artist and illustrator, and an official war artist in both of the world wars.

As a war artist, Kennington specialised in depictions of the daily hardships endured by soldiers and airmen. In the inter-war years he worked mostly on portraits and a number of book illustrations. The most notable of his book illustrations were for T. E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Kennington was also a gifted sculptor, best known for his 24th Division War Memorial in Battersea Park, for his work on the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and for the effigy of Lawrence at Wareham in Dorset. More on Eric Henri Kennington

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