KIDNER, Martin

1915 - 1984

Egerton Martin Kidner was born at Wellington, New Zealand on 14 March 1915, eldest child of (Somerset) Alfred Egerton Kidner (7 May 1881-11 November 1969), a consulting engineer, and his wife Frances Bertha née Hickson (18 April 1880-4 June 1971). In 1911 his father was boarding at 53 Philip Road, Ipswich and brought his family back from New Zealand to England just after the birth of his son and in 1921 they were boarding at 19 Marine Parade, Lyme Regis, Devon with parents and siblings John Hereward born 1916 and Mary Suzanne born 1919 both born in Enfield and in 1939 they were living at 1 Chase Court Gardens, Enfield, Middlesex. Known as Martin, he was educated at Enfield then at Colchester Royal Grammar School followed by Framlingham College, Suffolk then, after spending a year on farms at Colton, Norfolk, studied agriculture at Reading University. After being accepted as a member of a sleeping sickness eradication team in Northern Nigeria, at the age of 22, he left Liverpool for Lagos on 12 October 1937 and began his relationship with Africa. He married at St Germans, Cornwall in 1939, Ruth Hambly (7 December 1910-26 May 1994) and decided to take up sisal-growing in Kenya. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the European Reserve Officers of the Nigerian Regiment and served in Africa, being awarded the Military Cross in 1941. Whilst serving in the army he took Percy Bradshaw's correspondence course in drawing and completed many wartime sketches. In 1946 he continued farming in Kenya and in 1959 submitted a portrait to the Pastel Society's annual show which won a favourable review, after which he has some formal art tuition from Sonia Mervyn (1893-1977). A figurative artist and exhibited with the East African Wildlife Society Headquarters, Nairobi, and the Society of Wildlife Artists, with solo shows at the National Art Gallery and Museum, Botswana 1976, and La Perouse Gallery, Canberra, Australia 1978 and 1980. Egerton Martin Kidner returned to England and lived at 42 The Street, Brandeston near Framlingham in Suffolk where he died on 2 May 1984, he had four children. Kidner's son Oliver Kidner, was also an artist, both artists are illustrated in 'The Life and work of Martin Kidner' (1984).

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Works by This Artist