John Alfred Brett

1 portrait of John Alfred Brett

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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John Alfred Brett

by Elliott & Fry
bromide print, circa 1937
Purchased, 1996
Photographs Collection
NPG x86485

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Artistback to top

  • Elliott & Fry (active 1863-1962), Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 10998 portraits.

Events of 1937back to top

Current affairs

George VI becomes king. The younger brother of Edward VIII was crowned on the 12th May and the coronation was broadcast to Britain and the Empire on the radio. Edward becomes the Duke of Windsor, although the rank of 'Royal Highness' is not extended to Wallis Simpson.
Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister following Baldwin's retirement.

Art and science

Roland Penrose organises a tour of Picasso's painting Guernica to the UK. The painting, which shows the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, went on display at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in East London

International

Commercial airship travel is brought to an end with the 'Hindenberg Disaster'. The German airship exploded while landing in New Jersey. The radio broadcaster Herbert Morrison's reaction has become legendary: 'Oh, the humanity!'
Japan invades China, killing about 25,000. Japanese Troops committed numerous atrocities against soldiers and civilians in what became known as the 'Rape of Nanking'.

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John Corp

01 December 2020, 05:39

All I can say is that if this is post-war, the photographer did a terrific job in hiding the facial scars.

Stephen Taylor

17 May 2020, 22:29

I am now pretty sure that this photo is post-war and possibly from my grandfather's time as head of Durham. There is a photo of him in 1936 for the British Lions tour here: http://www.rugbyrelics.com/images/999/7l/78.jpg (front row on right) and he is obviously much younger in this one... As I said earlier, his right eye was glass (as the previous poster had mentioned), but it is in shadow in this photo...

John Corp

14 April 2017, 19:17

I think that this was made pre-WWII. Before being head at Durham, he was head at Shaftesbury Grammar School in Dorset, which is where I knew him. He was blown out of a tank in Normandy during WWII and suffered amongst other things, severe facial injuries, which included a glass eye, which meant that if he was teaching, you could never tell if he was looking at you or not! He was captain of the Oxford rugby team in 1937 and though not particularly short, he seemed to my 11 year-old eyes in 1957, as broad across the shoulders as he was high.