Sunday, 10 January 2016

Poem ~ Artistic Soldiers - Monday, 10 January 1916

Source: File: Design image for the Artists Rifles badge.jpg. [online] An original image is available at: <http://1914centenary.com/2014/03/11/exhibition-focuses-on-artists-rifles-in-the-first-world-war/> [Accessed: 10 January 2016]

While the path into war
Leads to destructivity,
Any escape from war
Can lead to creativity.

The proof of the pudding
Appeared in recruiting,
Of nearly thirty artists
To join their named corps.

The Artists Rifles doing
Their bit, used their talents
For field sketching, to devise
Invaluable map reading.

Furthermore their abilities
Were arranged to be shown;
To be members of the Officer
Training Corps Exhibition.

For three weeks only, over
London period, between
Saturday 15 January, to end
Saturday 5 February 1916.

The corps first muster-rolls
Had formed by Lord Leighton
And Val Prinsep - to use time
Between brushes and rifles.

Reflecting the immediacy
Of ongoing attrition, a public
Would be able to see black
And white images of war.

Enameling, etching, water
Colour and oil paintings -
Alongside sculptured images
Were to be on exhibition.

In talent like Lord Leighton,
Who had designed the Rifles
Badge - Although all images
Were subjected to censors.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Soldier Artists' Exhibition. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 January 1916. P.4. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12083285/Daily-Telegraph-January-10-1916.html [Accessed: 10 January 2016].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 10 January 2016). 



#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1ArtistsRifles

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