BENNER, William Roger

1884 - 1964

William Roger Benner was born at Nottingham on 8 September 1884, son of Walter Benner (1857-1942), a house decorator, and his wife Catherine née Roberts (1860-1953), who married at Shardlow, Derbyshire on 29 November 1883. William was educated at Hickling's School, Loughborough and in 1901 the family were living at 97 Wilford Crescent East, Nottingham when William was a 16-year-old 'architect's office clerk'. Ten years later the family were living at Thackeray Road, Nottingham when his father Walter was a manager of public baths, and 26-year-old William was an engineer's draughtsman. William studied at Nottingham School of Art, his teachers included Arthur Spooner (1873-1962) and Herbert Wilson Foster (1848-1929), and during the First World War, William was a commissioned officer and served in France for four years without leave. After the war he returned to Nottingham as art master at High Pavement School and after 27 years' service, in the mid 1950s retired to Blythburgh, Suffolk. An artist in oil and watercolours and a teacher and a member and exhibitor at the Ipswich Art Club 1960-1964 also a member and exhibitor at the Great Yarmouth & District Society of Artists 1958-1964, also exhibiting at Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery; the Royal Society of British Artists and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and produced many railway pictures, his painting 'After the Blitz' was reproduced in 'Nottingham-An Illustrated History' (1997). At the centenary exhibition of the Ipswich Art Club in 1974 his watercolours 'Heveningham' and 'Woodbridge', which was on the catalogue front cover, were on show. He married twice, firstly at Nottingham in December 1916, Bertha Mildred Shore (1889-1921) and secondly at Knaresborough on 1 January 1923 Gertrude Gandy (22 July 1897-7 October 1987). William Roger Benner died at Blythburgh, Suffolk on 5 November 1964, aged 80.

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Works by This Artist