An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Peter Knox during his time as Artist Tutor appointed by the Seafarers Education Service with the British Merchant Navy
The Seafarers Education Service was founded in 1919 by Albert Mansbridge (who had also founded the WEA in 1903) to the benefit of the British Merchant Navy.
In 1949 Dr Ronald Hope became Director. Dr Hope was An Academic Economist (Oxford) and Historian. He modified and extended the services and was later awarded the CBE.
In 1968, Peter Knox became the second seagoing Artist-Tutor, appointed with financial assistance from the Carnegie Trust. He worked onboard ships until 1971. At that time there were more than 100,000 British Merchant Seamen and Dr Hope believed that they should have access to equal educational opportunities as citizens ashore. The SES supplied ships libraries worldwide, an extensive Film Library, individual tuition for seafarers by correspondence together with examination facilities. The Ship Adoption Service linked seafarers with schools, art and literature competitions and published the quarterly magazine, the “Seafarer”.
As the British Seafaring Community diminished, replaced by larger supertankers – container vessels and more modern automated systems with fewer ships and smaller crew – the SES merged with the Marine Society, a body with Royal Navy connections dating from the days of Nelson.
Ronald Hope died in 2014, author of books and publications including “Poor Jack” and a ”A New History of British Shipping” with drawings by Perter Knox.