This is a head and shoulders portrait of Commander Miers (1906-85), set against a blank, light grey background. It is in three-quarter profile view and Miers is looking away from the viewer, a slight frown of concentration on his forehead. When Miers joined the submarine service in 1929 he soon became known for being incredibly keen, loyal, fearless and hot-tempered. The artist William Dring captured some of this character in the way he depicted Miers’ rosy cheeks and rounded features. There is a row of badges representing various awards and medals just visible on the left hand side of his jacket, but there is nothing else in the composition to give any clue to Miers’ rank as both a Commander and a Victoria Cross Holder. The portrait is signed and dated by the artist. [The original WAAC number is LD. 2473]

William Dring (1904-90) earned his reputation as a fine draughtsman and portrait painter whilst studying under Henry Tonks at the Slade School of Art between 1922 and 1925. He worked as a teacher of drawing and painting at the Southampton School of Art until 1940 when he was employed by the War Artist Advisory Committee, first as official war artist to the Admiralty and later to the Air Ministry. He made a large number of portrait drawings of individuals and groups, all remarkable for their informality. Dring travelled extensively to complete his commissions. The drawing is always precise and carefully modelled using pastel, a medium in which he specialised, and which allowed him to capture the likeness and spirit of his subjects quickly and under a variety of circumstances.