Liverpool artist and war hero Frank Hendry has died

Frank Hendry

Frank Hendry, World War II hero, journalist, schoolteacher and renowned Merseyside artist, has died at the age of 85.

Born in Birkenhead, Frank moved with his family to Liverpool where he worked as a teacher in several schools including the Blue Coat Grammar School.

He was a devout Roman Catholic and spent several years in the 1960s working as a journalist on the Liverpool Catholic Pictorial newspaper.

Throughout his life Frank maintained the interest in art he developed at school and he became particularly renowned for landscapes and Mersey river scenes, painted in his own distinctive style.

Frank's work was exhibited alongside that of his friend and contemporary, Arthur Dooley, at the House of Commons and in 1985. He was an active member of the Liverpool Academy of Arts and also exhibited at the Liverpool Bluecoat Chambers.

In 1989 a sum of £18,000 raised from the sale of prints of his paintings went to the Hillsborough Disaster Fund.

One of Frank's lesser-know claims to fame was that he helped News of the World Editor, Colin Myler embark on his career in journalism. Colin's headmaster at Fisher-Moore School in Widnes was Frank's brother Denis.

When Colin applied to the Catholic Pictorial, for an opening as a cub reporter, Frank put in a good word that helped him secure the job.

Colin Myler said: "Frank was my first News Editor and a wonderful, compassionate man of letters. He was passionate about literature and words and a stickler for accuracy.

"He was deliciously mischievous and always a thorn in someone's side. Liverpool will miss him."

Chris Johnson, secretary of Liverpool Press Club, and editor of Mercury Press Agency, said: "Frank had a natural nose for gripping human interest stories.

"He was also well-known for a weekly diary he penned for The Pic in the 60s. At the time he was an outspoken supporter of reform in the Church and relished opportunities to stimulate debate.

"He was not afraid of controversy and was always prepared to examine difficult or painful issues. He had a fine intellect and a great capacity to argue a topic or recount his exploits in an entertaining manner.

"He was a very talented artist but he was quite humble about his own achievements and I formed the impression that he regarded his artistic prowess as a gift that he was honoured to possess and to develop

"Frank was a real legend in this city and beyond. He was a great ambassador for Liverpool and will be deeply mourned by his many friends."

Frank never married and lived during his retirement in a Liverpool dockland apartment. He travelled widely in the UK, Ireland and Europe on painting expeditions. The most recent exhibition of his work ended at a gallery in Maghull only four days before his death.

Former Editor of the Catholic Pictorial, John Short told how Frank hendry had been a hero as a schoolboy.

John said: "He volunteered to act as a runner for the Fire Brigade in Bootle during the
May blitz and in fact while he was on duty his Fire Station was blitzed, though he lived to tell the tale.

"For a short time, while waiting to be called up, he worked as a civil servant in the secret Western Approaches bunker at Exchange Flags behind the town hall.

"At 18 he joined the RAF and trained as a pilot, winning his wings in South Africa.
"Because there was a major effort at the time to recruit glider pilots, Frank was switched into that role and took part in the crossing of the Rhine, the greatest and last major airborne operation of World War II.

"He has, in fact, written a moving account of this operation and was hoping to publish it.

"After the war he graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in economic history and began life on newspapers, including the Oxford Mail.

"Frank published two books on his political and economic thoughts which were solidly grounded on his Christian principles.

"He was a member of the Liverpool Catholic Ramblers for years and a regular star in their theatrical events.

"He has certainly left a lasting impression on Merseyside. Above all I will remember the constant impish twinkle in his eye and his appetite for life.

"When I was looking him up some years ago and had lost his address I was pointed in the right direction by a gang of refuse collectors neear the Pier Head who said: "De artist lives down der, mate."

His friend and companion Margaret Ryan said: "Frank was a real character He was such a wonderful story-teller that wherever he went people would be queuing-up to chat with him.

"He had not been enjoying the best of health recently but kept active and went out walking almost every day.

"Of course he was a very talented artist and painting was his great passion but he was also very interested in people and would champion the cause of the underdog.

"He also took a vital interest in the fortunes of Liverpool and was not afraid to champion the causes that he believed-in, like the need to preserve the architectural heritage of the city."

In recent years Frank had suffered from heart and respiration problems and had recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Frank is survived by his sister Betty.

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