Marriage & Family Life, 1911- 1962
Oil ‘When We Were Very Young’, c 1924
Kathleen’s family life was a source of creative inspiration for her painting
Marriage and Name Change
Kathleen’s mother Emily had three immediate cousins, including Frank Frederick Bird (1856-1927) born in St Margaret’s, Ipswich. He was the son of John Bird (1819-1887, born in Stratford St. Andrew, Suffolk, a Clerk to the Burial Board) and Sarah A Bird nee Austin, (born in 1824, in Rushmere Suffolk, a draper), and had two siblings. He knew Kathleen the whole of her life.
Frank married Kathleen in February 1911 at Saint John the Evangelist, Ladbroke Grove in London. Frank was an insurance company manager and was twenty-four years older than Kathleen - at the time of their marriage they were 55 and 32 years old, respectively.
Large oil ‘A Knotty Problem’ also known as ‘FF Bird Esq’, c 1920s
After her marriage, Kathleen, already known as the artist Kathleen Temple, incorporated Frank’s surname into her own, signing her paintings as K.E. Temple-Bird. The couple moved frequently within London, living in areas such as Lancaster Gate, Chelsea, Hammersmith, and Wargrave, Berkshire, before finally settling in Kensington in 1923 (ref. censuses, ERs, letters).
Watercolour ‘35 Brook Green, Hammersmith’, c 1917
Kathleen and Frank lived in Brook Green Hammersmith, when they had their only son, John Frank Temple-Bird, born in June 1917. Kathleen painted many portraits of John over the years. Notably, her watercolour version of When We Were Very Young (see top of page) was accepted into the "Observer Children's Portraits" exhibition at the Royal Watercolour Society Gallery in 1954.
Married life presented challenges for Kathleen as an artist, balancing the demands of raising a young child, caring for an older husband, managing a household, and continuing her painting. Fortunately, her parents (see section: Early Life) lived nearby and maintained a close bond with their grandson, John.
In his later years, Frank suffered from a prolonged illness, and Kathleen paused her painting and exhibitions between 1924 and 1927 to care for him. His health continued to decline, and he passed away in 1927 at the age of 72, leaving Kathleen, then 48, and their 10-year-old son, John. With only a small legacy from Frank, Kathleen was left to navigate life as a single parent, relying on her artistry—painting, exhibiting, and selling—to support herself and her son.
Single Motherhood
Part of large oil ‘My Son John’ also known as ‘Young Westminster’, c 1930
John attended Westminster School from 1930 to 1934 [1], located within the precincts of Westminster Abbey, London, where he pursued his passion for music. During this time, his mother, Kathleen, proudly painted him in his Westminster uniform (see above). The portrait was well received and exhibited by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1931, the Society of Women Artists in 1932, and the Royal Academy in 1933.
At the start of the Second World War, Kathleen relocated to St Ives, Cornwall, with her mother and sister for the duration of the war (see section: St Ives). Meanwhile, John enlisted in the army, joining the Royal Artillery. According to his diaries from that time, he visited his family in St Ives as often as possible. In 1942, he sat for a portrait by Kathleen, which she completed in 1943 at the age of 64 (see below).
Large oil ‘John in Flannels’ also known as ‘On Leave’, 1943
John became an officer and met fellow officer Winifred Alice Wood. They married in September 1943, when John was 26 and Win was 23. Shortly after their honeymoon, John was deployed to North Africa and later to India, serving as a Lieutenant and Regimental Radar Instructor in the Royal Indian Artillery.
After three years abroad, he returned as a Captain and took on a Regular Commission. He and Win settled in Tenby, Wales, for about five years while he worked as an instructor at the School of Anti-Aircraft Artillery [2]. In her 70s, Kathleen frequently visited them in Tenby to paint, including a portrait of Win (see below).
John’s career advanced through various roles in weapons research and development, including positions at the Royal Military College of Science, the Inspectorate of Armaments, and the Ministry of Supply. He and Win welcomed their first daughter, Frances, in 1955, followed by Caroline in 1958 - Kathleen’s only grandchildren.
Large oil ‘Winnie’, c 1955
As John was promoted, he and his family were stationed in Germany with the British Army of the Rhine. He later served as part of the Defence Research Staff at the British Embassy in Washington, USA, and held various postings across England with the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment. He also worked as a Technical Coordinator for an Anglo-German Ministry of Defence project, frequently travelling between the two countries.
John reached the rank of Colonel but sadly passed away in 1970 at the age of 53 after a short illness. His wife, Win, raised their young daughters as a single mother and went on to live a full, happy, and well-travelled life until her passing in 2007 at the age of 87.
Kathleen kept on exhibiting and selling her work until 1960. In 1961 she moved to Firfield House, Addlestone, Surrey (a Care Home run by the Sister’s Hospitallers). On 24 June 1962, Kathleen died aged 82 years. She is buried in Hampstead Cemetery, London, where her husband is also buried.
Kathleen’s self-portrait, pencil, c 1948 aged 70
References
Temple-Bird, John Frank (1917-1970) - Westminster School's Archive & Collections
Temple-Bird, John Frank, Army Service Record, 1939-1970
Henri Vitérac: “Artists recently seen in exhibitions/galleries, including …. the Royal Academy of Art, and ……”, La Revue Moderne - illustrated Arts and Life, published in Paris, No 16, 30 August 1930.
