The Battlecruiser Force of the Grand Fleet in the Firth of Forth, with ships of the 5th Battle Squadron, 1918 RMG PV2767, William Lionel Wyllie, circa 1918

The battlecruiser force of the grand fleet in the firth of forth, with ships of the 5th battle squadron, 1918 rough notes by the artist along the bottom of the watercolour area on the sheet identify most of the ships shown in this study. On the left are three battleships of the 5th battle squadron, the 'barham', 'malaya' and 'valiant'. The battlecruisers are identified as 'lion', 'renown', 'repulse', 'tiger', 'princess royal', 'inflexible', 'indomitable', 'new zealand' and 'australia'. Steaming in the centre is the destroyer 'verdun' which was completed in november 1917. The forth bridge is in the background. Wyllie has used the bottom of the sheet for colour testing and rough pencil sketches, one apparently of a destroyer (possibly 'verdun'). Date: circa 1918. Dimensions: 253 mm x 353 mm. Collection: Fine art.