Fonds Fonds 15 - Gordon Appelbe Smith fonds

Gordon Appelbe Smith, 1919-2020, was born in England and attended grammar school at Harrow before emigrating to Winnipeg, Manitoba and attending the Vancouver School of Fine Art. In 1941 he married Marion Fleming. He enlisted with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in 1939 and joined the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry 21 August 1942 as a Lieutenant. He was a Platoon Commander and then the Intelligence Officer, Headquarters Company, during the Sicily landings in July 1943. He was badly burned during the advance on Leon Forte, Sicily, 20 July 1943 and Struck Off Strength due to his burns. He spent six months in hospitals in North Africa, England and Canada and his wounds left him with a paralyzed leg. Under the Veteran's Program he was able to receive further training at the San Francisco School of Fine Art and Harvard University. He became an art teacher and then professor of fine arts at the University of British Columbia. His works are held in galleries across Canada including the National Gallery, the Canadian War Museum and the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Regimental Museum and Archives. He was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia and honorary doctorates from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the Emily Carr Institute of Art. He was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. He was still actively working as an artist at the time of his death at the age of 100.