KINNAIRD, Francis Joseph 'Wiggs'

1875 - 1915

Francis Joseph Kinnaird was born at St Pancras, London on 16 March 1875, second of the two sons and four daughters of Francis Henry Kinnaird (1835-1916), a merchant and an artist, and his wife Charlotte née Lee, (c1838-1914) who married at All Saints', Rotherham Minster, Yorkshire on 28 June 1859. Popularly known as 'Wiggs' he had had no formal art training but was tutored by his much older brother Henry John Kinnaird (1862-1929), a noted landscape painter in oils and watercolours and by their father. In 1901, young Francis was a 25-year-old artist, living at 13 Busby Place, Camden Road, St Pancras, London with his parents, 64-year-old Francis Henry and 62-year-old Charlotte. He married at Forsters Road Catholic Church, Kentish Town, London on 5 October 1901, Gertrude, the widow of Thomas Henry Cookes (25 October 1804-29 September 1900) JP DL, and formerly MP for East Worcestershire, Gertrude née Green died on 11 October 1929, aged 63. In 1907 he was commissioned in the South Staffordshire Regiment and became an instructor of musketry and in 1909 promoted captain and in 1911, a 36-year-old army officer reserve captain, living at Astley Stourport, Worcester with his 45-year-old wife Gertrude and their 6-year-old daughter Mary Gertrude, who was born at Gillingham, Dorset and Kinnaird is in the Voter's Lists from Astley, Peasemarsh, (now Peacemarsh), Gillingham 1905-1912. A member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club 1900-1902 and as 'Wiggs' Kinnaird, exhibited three pictures from 13 Busby Place, St Pancras, in 1900, two oils 'The Old Farmhouse, Priory Village, South Wales' and 'Milford Haven, South Wales' and a watercolour 'The Severn, near Bewdley', he also painted scenes on the Stour at Dedham, Essex. He also exhibited at Royal Birmingham Society of Artists; Dudley Gallery; Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts; Walker Art Gallery; Manchester City Art Gallery and Royal Society of British Artists. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, his battalion was stationed in Jersey and in March 1915 he took a draft of one hundred men as reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion of the Regiment then in France, and during his brief time in the trenches at the Front, Wiggs made several sketches. On 16 May 1915, around Richebourg, north-east of Bethune, following heavy enemy shelling, four captains including Wiggs, were wounded. After evacuation to 10th Stationary Hospital at St Omar he was brought back to London for further treatment but succumbed to his wounds and died at St Agnes Hospital at Grosvenor Gardens on 6 June 1915.

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Works by This Artist