forced the captain to join the Free French at gunpoint. He was appointed OBE for this act in March 1941. In 1944, as a Captain RNVR, Bevan was working as the Deputy Chief of Naval Information, in Washington, D.C. This was a post that not only exercised all his skills at communication but gave him access to many of the top players in American advertising, which was to prove useful in his later career. Marriage Bobby Bevan had a difficult relationship with his father, which might explain why there is only one known portrait of the son by Robert Bevan, yet numerous portraits of his daughter, Halszka, survive. He also appears to have had problems in his relationship with women. He did marry on his return from the war, his bride being a vivacious divorcee – Natalie Sieveking (née Ackenhausen). Within a year he found himself in a well publicised ménage à trois involving his wife and Randolph Churchill, which continued until the latter's death in 1968. The Bevans lived at Boxted House on the Essex–Suffolk border, and had a flat in Knightsbridge, London. They entertained greatly and Boxted soon became a gathering place for artists, writers and gardeners. Weekend parties might consist of Maggi Hambling, Francis Bacon, A.P. Herbert, Ronald Blythe, Beth Chatto and John Gathorne-Hardy. Other friends included the artists John Armstrong and Frederick Gore, with others more closely associated with East Anglia, such as Cedric Morris, John Nash and the architect Raymond Erith. The composer Benjamin Britten and the tenor Peter Pears might be there as would the art dealer Anthony d'Offay, who once brought down the artists Gilbert and George. Later career and public works The Bevans had very close links with the Minories art gallery in Colchester, which opened in 1958; Bobby served as chairman of its management committee, The Victor Batte-Lay Trust, from 1963 until 1974. During the 1950s and 1960s Bobby held a number of official appointments. He was: 1958: nominated as the UK representative on UN Committee on Public Information; 1958: member of the Advisory Council on Middle East Trade; 1958–1963; Export Publicity Council; 1959–1963; National Advisory Council on Art Education; 1960–1964; Advertising Standards Authority; 1962–1966. Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (President in 1961) He was also a founder member of the board of governors of the Cutty Sark Between 1954 and 1964, he was Chairman of SH Benson Ltd, being appointed