THE ARTISTIC LEGACY
The creative legacy of the Artists Rifles should not be overlooked, according to the regiment’s historian Patrick Baty.
“The Lord Kitchener recruitment poster was drawn by Alfred Leete, who was part of the Artists Rifles,” said Patrick.
“Probably the best known and most moving image of the First World War is a painting by John Nash, another member, called Over The Top, in which around a dozen chaps trudge out of the trenches towards the German front line.
“He took part in that – there were 80 Artists Rifles sent out and 68 were gunned down in minutes. It was really desperate.
There are very few unofficial photos to come out of the First World War, but I think the paintings and drawings convey what was happening even better than photographs could,” he says. Patrick hopes a forthcoming talk for Army@ TheFringe is just the start of bringing the story of the Artists Rifles to people’s attention and preserving it for years to come.
He added: “We have a hell of a story to tell, and I’m determined that these men and their tales are not forgotten and they become more widely known. If nothing else, it might encourage people to open up a bit and realise that you can be much more multifaceted – that you don’t just have to be black and white, you can have a second, third or even fourth dimension.”
Patrick’s talk, Arts & The Army: A Relationship Built Over Centuries, is part of Army@TheFringe on August 27. Tickets at armyatthefringe.org