The Bill Cockerill Prize
Bill Cockerill was a long-standing member of the Art Club who painted West Country Landscapes in oils. For over a decade the general public voted a painting of his as the best in each Summer Exhibition. He was proud of this achievement since, as he said with a twinkle in his eye, no judge at the Preview Party had ever commented on his work.
Towards the end of his life his family wanted him, as a widower, to move closer. He was rather reluctant to do this. However, he asked Jed Falby and myself to visit his home in Budleigh. He told us that the Art Club had played a major part in his retirement. He thought, however that many new members were reluctant to submit paintings in the Summer Exhibition. This was possibly due to the professionals who had been trained at the Slade School and other art establishments. He said that he would like to give a trophy which would be competed for by members of less than 5 years standing. He suggested that judging, by the members, could take place at the A.G.M. (it would make it less dull)!
Bill then presented to Jed and myself the silver salver [now known as the Bill Cockerill Trophy] which he said had been a wedding present and on your behalf we thanked him. Incidentally one of Bill’s last landscapes hangs in the waiting room at the Budleigh Salterton Hospital.
Glyn Whittle
[As a last word in the early days of the BSAC, when numbers were restricted to 40, about half had been trained professionally but his is not the case now.]