NAM.2020-01-12-4-1

Colonel John Brown, 1927. Pencil sketch by Sir William Orpen, drawn on a dinner menu card, 1927. John Brown was attending the annual dinner of the Paris branch of the British Legion, in his role as Vice-President of the Legion, on 4th Dec 1927. Sir William Orpen was sitting opposite him and did a quick sketch on the menu card which he presented to Sir John and signed, “Yours ever, William Orpen”. Sir John obviously asked those sitting near him to sign it as well and so it has the signatures of Marshal Foch (Supreme Allied Commander WW1), General Gouraud (Dardanelles and Western Front in WW1, then French High Commissioner in Syria and Lebanon in the early 20s and Military Governor of Paris from 1923 to 1937), and Admiral Wester Wemyss (commanded the British landings during the Gallipoli Campaign, became First Sea Lord in December 1917 and was a signatory to the Armistice at Compiègne in 1918).