Tribute to the Trenches

Lee Thomas was relatively new to the scene when he bought his first scooter, a plain white T5 in 2017. “The scooter wasn't short on performance and came from a good background, but after a while I wanted to make some changes. The performance was fine, but I wanted artwork.” Lee's great-grandfather fought in the First World War: “The scooter is a tribute to my greatgrandfather and all the soldiers who fought in the First World War. It's also a reminder to everyone that the price of victory was high and was paid with by thousands of young lives.” With the choice of the theme settled, Lee started to make some enquiries to find out who would be able to deliver the artwork. “I'd seen some of Gatch's work on various scooters and on social media. I made a few calls and managed to get in touch with Gatch. I explained the idea to him, he liked it and he agreed to complete the work.” Gatch started to develop his ideas for the paint and the artwork. “I wanted the scooter to describe what life was like in the trenches and on the Western Front. During my research I discovered some rare and hardly ever seen before photos, which helped with the delivery of the project.” The initial mural on the engine side panel shows a soldier drinking a cup of tea, and is thinking of home and happier times. While you're taking in the detail you can then almost hear the distant sound of the heavy artillery and machine gun bursts in the background. An image of a bi-plane appears over the soldier's right shoulder, which signifies the reconnaissance missions being flown before he advances into action. The blend of these two images makes you realise that this soldier may well have been killed in action only hours, or minutes after the photo was taken. The first mural on the spare wheel side panel shows a soldier whose back is turned to the onlooker and represents the Unknown Soldier; it is designed to give a sense of connection to those soldiers who never returned from the front or were never found. The poppies on the top of both side panels pay tribute to the fallen, and the golden sunrise on the frame above each side panel represents hope. On the offside of the legshields there's an image of a young battle-hardened officer wearing a Brodie helmet, he is poised and ready to give the order to go over the top. The mural on the top of the front mudguard shows the basic equipment that the soldiers in the First World War were equipped with, and the graphics at either side of the mudguard add to the impact of the harsh reality of war. Lee picked up several awards with the scooter in its first season, and looks forward to more. The artwork and the theme are hard hitting and thought provoking, illustrating that from the darkness of war, hope will emerge and the memory of the fallen will never be forgotten.

Words: Stu

Smith

Photos:

Andrew Colbeck