A war time scene of Falmouth. A large amount of naval shipping can be seen in the bay. In the distance on the left the cranes of Falmouth Dockyard stand vertically against the skyline. On the right, hovering above the town, is an anti-aircraft barrage balloon.

In July 1940 Cundall became an Admiralty artist, given a salaried commission to record the work of the Merchant Navy in fulfilment of which he worked on the Thames and the Medway and also at Falmouth. He produced another painting of Falmouth harbour at the same date, full of numerous ships of varying sizes containing refugees from Bordeaux, now in the Imperial War Museum.

The painting is signed ‘Charles Cundall, 1940’.