Canada, Commonwealth. H.M.S. Marlborough, by Reuben Jukes (Jucksch)

Oil on canvas, title at bottom centre and signed and dated 'RA Jucksch 13" measuring 56 cm (w) x 40 cm (h) in frame, fine.

Footnote: Reuben Jukes (Jucksch) was born in Hanover, Ontario, in 1887. In November 1914, aged 27, he enlisted as a private in the 20th. Canadian Battalion. His enlistment papers give his trade as "artist". After training in England his battalion was sent to the Front in January 1916, but in April he was diagnosed as suffering from 'neurasthemia', a polite term for shell-shock, and was sent back to England to recover. By May 1917 he was back in active service, only to suffer a gas attack in April 1918 which necessitated a return to England for treatment and convalescence. He never returned to the fighting, and was formerly discharged from the Army in May 1919.

Jukes was not an official war artist, but family tradition holds that his commanding officer turned a blind eye when Jukes painted the scenes that confronted him whilst on active service. The same tradition says that he managed to have these sent back to his family listed as the personal effects of a deceased soldier. Given the conditions under which these paintings were executed, they are remarkable for their freshness of colour and condition. They are a fascinating glimpse into the Great War as seen through the eyes of a Canadian soldier.