Portrait of a 'Tommy', 1918 (c)

Watercolour sketch from a sketchbook by 2nd Lieutenant Richard Tennant Cooper (1885-1957), 16th Battalion Middlesex Regiment and Royal Engineers, 1918 (c).

British soldier with moustache, wearing helmet.

Educated in Tonbridge, Kent, Richard Tennant Cooper trained as an artist in Paris, but in 1914 he volunteered as a private in 16th (Service) Battalion (Public Schools), The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment). In 1916 he was given a temporary commission as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers. He was promoted temporary lieutenant in July 1918 and captain in November that year.