John Webster came from Youghal, County Cork. When Bone drew him in 1945, he was 73 and serving as a Boatswain at the Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport. Stephen Bone was the son of the influential draughtsman and etcher Sir Muirhead Bone (1876-1953), who was an official war artist in both World Wars. Stephen Bone was appointed official war artist by the War Artists Advisory Committee in 1943, and assigned to the Admiralty. His output was prolific and notable for the unusual viewpoints from which he represented his subjects. Many of these were published in the Illustrated London News, and show a variety of naval craft (including aircraft carriers and S-class submarines), views of dockyards and scenes of life on board ship. The National Maritime Museum holds some 80 oil paintings and drawings Bone produced for the War Artists Advisory Committee.