Stanley Spencer was commissioned by the War Artists' Advisory Committee to record the heroic contribution made to the war effort by the Clyde shipbuilders. Dressed in clothes pulled over his pyjamas so as not to waste time in the morning, Spencer proved popular amongst the yard's workers. MacQuitty was the producer of a documentary about the activities of Britain's war artists and his film crew accompanied Spencer on the train north from London. A keen amateur photographer, he took a series of pictures showing Spencer's small figure against the bulky ships.