Sir – Through your columns may I appeal for information that any of your readers may have about the artist George Bissill.

I am researching his life and work and would be most interested in any memories or information. George was born in 1896 in Langley Mill, Derbyshire, where his father was a miner. He too went down the mines but after the war was determined to make his living as an artist.

He moved to London and after working for a while as a pavement artist, was discovered, and an exhibition of his depictions of life and conditions in the mines brought him immediate fame.

He later moved to Ashmansworth, near Newbury, where he lived until his death in 1973. I know that he was well known in the Oxford area, as he worked as a dealer and restorer after his move to the country, as well as producing many landscapes in watercolour and oils of the Oxfordshire/Berkshire countryside.

If anyone can help me with my research please contact me.

Kate Pattinson, Fossils End, Great Milton OX44 7NL