Read how this eldest daughter of a wealthy Sussex farming family grew up in the dark days of WW1 then lost everything and had to survive through the slump and depression of the 1930′s. With little formal training, she learned the craft of renovating furniture and Chinese wallpapers in London, before marrying and moving out to the Far East. There and again later after WW2, she honed her painting skills and became one of the last century’s foremost botanical artists.

This is not only an account of the life of an artist but also shows the determination of a woman with a will to succeed in a world of men, bosses that exploited workers in sweat shops in London, companies that would not tolerate married men on their workforce and a society that came to respect that a woman has a rightful place as a breadwinner. 

Further down this page, please read an extract, submitted to the BBC’s World War Two page, which tells of Barbara’s and son, Martin’s escape from Singapore with the Japanese army fast approaching and the terrible parting with her husband, Ray.