Members' Evening & AGM
As usual we start with the normally very brief AGM! As you know, Tony Fleetwood stepped down from the chairmanship a while ago and Andrew has been acting chairman since. Candidates for this (and any other committee posts) should advise the secretary before the meeting, giving proposer and seconder. The agenda is:
1) Apologies for absence
2) Minutes of the 2009 AGM
3) Matters arising
4) Chairman's report
5) Treasurer's report
6) Election of officers
7) AOB
Then we have three talks from branch members. Those of your present a year ago will recall that Brennan Hiorns's talk on Great War poster and magazine art could not be given because of the postal problems. The Royal Mail seems to be up and running now so Brennan will return to this theme with a talk on "The Impact of the Great War on Modern Art". He will feature particularly the Madrid 2008 exhibition, widely recognised as a milestone in this genre.
At the 2008 Members' Evening Pamela Jenkins gave us an excellent talk on the war experiences of her father. Tonight her talk is on the 75th Field Ambulance, 1915-1918, based mainly on the official diary written by its commanding officer, H A Davidson. Pamela's father was a stretcher bearer with the 75th Field Ambulance in those years.
Our third speaker is new to our "podium", Helen Risby. Her talk is entitled "Mapping an ANZAC - Finding Private Hines". In particular she will talk about using a specific website to locate ANZAC soldiers' records. Helen hails from "down under" and it will be interesting to know more on this topic.
July Meeting Report
The talk was Muirhead Bone: Artist & Patron and given by his grandson Sylvester Bone. Muirhead Bone was the first artist to be appointed to work on the Western Front, where he was through most of the second half of 1916, including of course the Somme campaign. Muirhead Bone was born in Glasgow in 1876, and trained as an engraver. By 1914 he had gained an international reputation, particularly for his drawings of building demolitions. When war broke out his first war-related work was to produce pictures in aid of Belgian aid charities.
Soon he became involved with propaganda work, working under Charles Masterman, countering German efforts to influence opinion in Holland, Sweden and America. It seems hardly surprising that he was selected as a war artist at the front, and to do this he was given the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.
Bone arrived at Intelligence Corps HQ in France in August 1916, and by the time of his return home in December he had produced some 250 drawings. Many of these were printed by the War Office as lithographs. He travelled widely, often near to the front, and was given considerable freedom. However he was instructed not to portray dead bodies! A book of his drawings was published at the end of 1916, with a foreword by Sir Douglas Haig.
As well as the front, Bone produced sketches and watercolours of the Grand Fleet in the Firth of Forth, shipbuilding on the Clyde and the war effort in factories the length and breadth of Britain.
Bone was knighted in 1938 and in WW2 was again a war artist. He died in 1953.
This talk rather suffered from a lack of visual material, as well as a very hot room and an evacuation brought on by a fire alarm!
See www.forgottentitles.com for more information and a number of Bone's drawings.
Newsletter Quiz
Answer to quiz 205: the "Black Flight" was B flight, 10 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service. (Consisted of five Sopwith Triplanes, painted black on the upper fuselage, all with Canadian pilots.) Barry Cobb won and sets quiz 206: Name the only two brothers to be awarded the VC in WW1.
Smith-Dorrien Grave
On 12th August there was a ceremony at the grave in Berkhamsted of Gen Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, the exact 80th anniversary of his death.
Smith-Dorrien was appointed in August 1914 to command Second Corps on the death of Gen Grierson. He was soon thrown into the Battle of Mons, followed by the famous stand at Le Cateau. Although praised at the time by the commander-in-chief, Sir John French, the two men had never got on, and Smith-Dorrien was dismissed in May 1915 following a disagreement. Illness prevented him from taking any further part in the war.
Smith-Dorrien was born in Berkhamsted, and is buried next to two of his brothers (both of whom were in the Royal Navy). The ceremony was brought about by the chairman of the Lancs and Cheshire Branch of the WFA, Terry Jackson, who gave an appreciation of Smith-Dorrien's life and service. A Royal British Legion standard bearer was present, and the event was covered by the local press. Also present was WFA member Neil MacDonald, whose father served in the Royal Field Artillery, under Smith-Dorrien.
[Web Editor's Note: please also see Terry Jackson's report and photographs of the Ceremony.]
Folkestone "Step-Short"
You may remember that over two years ago attempts started to preserve what remains of Folkestone's vital role in the war, as millions of soldiers embarked for France at the harbour. The latest news is that there is a project called "Step-Short" (named after the short marching step of the troops as they marched down the steep road.) The aim is to have that road dedicated to the memory of those men. See a website that explains more: http://www.grand-uk.com/Step%20Short.html
"The Pride of Pirton"
Those of you on email have already had this information, but I was contacted a little while ago by Jonty Wild, who is one of the authors of this book. Unusually it features all the known men with a Pirton, Herts, connection that served; both the survivors and those that died. Therefore it documents 230 men of which 38 died. The book is over 200 pages with some 300 images. They are launching the book on Saturday, 23 October and there will be afternoon and evening events to celebrate the end of this project, which started in 2003. These events will be informal and sociable, rather than aimed at selling the book, although it will be available. There will be displays of the research and from the living history group, The Rifles. Young Thomas Barker, who featured in the June/July issue of the Bulletin (page 24), is also intending to be there and, hopefully, there will a number of other very special guests. Times and venues should be checked nearer the date in case of changes, and this can be done at www.pirton.org.uk/ww1book or by contacting Jonty on 01462 711383.
Branch Diary
8 October: tbc (Anne Powell is unable to give her talk on Women in the War Zone: Hospital Service in WW1).
12 November: St Eloi: Village of the Craters - Christopher John
10 December: The Austro-Hungarian Conflict in 1914 - Prof. Mark Cornwall
Venue: Room SP101, 1st Floor, Sports Hall, St George's School, Sun Lane, Harpenden, AL5 4EY. Doors open 7.30pm, 8.00pm start. Requested donation min. £3.00. Tea, coffee & biscuits at half time.
Contact
Acting Chairman
