Thomas Burke was born in 1906 in Liverpool. During the 1920s and 30s he studied art at Liverpool College of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. In 1941 he joined the Merchant Navy as 3rd Radio Officer on the ship the Dalesman. In May that year, the Dalesman was bombed and sunk by enemy aircraft off the coast of Crete. Burke, along with other Merchant Navy personnel, was transferred to Milag (Marine Internierten Lager, or Marine Internment Camp) at Westertimke, north west Germany. Whilst imprisoned, he produced many drawings and watercolours. These included images of camp life, portraits and set designs for theatrical productions. In 1945, Burke was repatriated to Britain and died the same year. (http://www.artinliverpool.com/williamson-thomas-burke-1906-1945/) Thomas Burke, Artist and Prisoner of War The Williamson opens on 15th July a small display in tribute to Liverpool artist Thomas Burke to mark the 70th anniversary of his death. A Liverpool-born artist with a building reputation in London before 1939 he joined the Merchant Navy and served as a radio operator in the Mediterranean. He was captured in Cyprus and became a prisoner of war for 5 years in several camps but died shortly after his release in 1945. He never married but had friends and family who treasured memories of him and who have made this display possible including paintings from before the war (one borrowed from the Houses of Parliament), drawings of the camps and fellow prisoners and the watercolour set of 14 Stations of the Cross he painted for the chapel of Stalag Luft4 (http://friendswilliamson.blogspot.nl/2015/06/williamson-talks-three-new-talks-to-tie.html) undefined

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