Biography
Michael Campbell Ross (b. Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK 1905 - d. Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK 1982), whose mother was a Russian immigrant while his father, Archibald John Campbell, was a prominent marine engineer responsible for many large ship building projects, received commissions for the painted likenesses of several high-ranking individuals, many of which were exhibited in London galleries during the 1920s and 1930s. In addition, he worked at the Foreign Office in Bulgaria; taught art courses in London, and worked in the layout department of an advertising firm. He spoke multiple languages, including Russian, which he learned from his mother, as well as French, his only means of conversing with his French-born wife, who spoke little English. During WW2, Ross served first in the British Army Camouflage Corps in France, later in the Balkans, in Yugoslavia and in December 1944 he received an assignment as MFAA Officer for North Rhine and Westphalia working as an archivist alongside Monuments Men Major Roger Ellis and Sir Hilary Jenkinson, which he continued as a civilian until at least 1948. He would go on to work as a writer for BBC radio, and as a translator and author of French works on art, culture and history. In recognition of his services to the city of Cologne, he was invited to the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of the cathedral in 1948.
