In a post earlier this year, we told the story of a remarkable World War One mural painted on double gates at a house in rural Essex.
It was the work of the artist Bruce McNally as a tribute to Private Alexander Kirkpatrick, his great uncle — his grandfather’s brother — who died near Ypres in 1915. The mural showed images of a Tommy, a German soldier, and a superb presentation of Bruce Bairnsfather’s ‘Old Bill’ cartoon character in his ‘A Better ’Ole’.
Bruce McNally knew his great uncle was in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, and he painted the gate – almost on a whim - to mark his death in a war which had haunted him since childhood. Bruce had visited Private Kirkpatrick’s grave in a military cemetery in Belgium. But he didn’t know what his great uncle looked like until we were able to help. We found a newspaper obituary which included a portrait. We also found his service record.
As a result, Bruce has refurbished the gates and refashioned the painting. The anonymous Tommy is now replaced with an image based on the portrait of his great uncle, in appropriate uniform, with the date of his death. And the generic German soldier has disappeared, to be replaced by a graphic image of a sniper in action. ‘Old Bill’ is still in his dug-out.
Bruce says:
All I ever knew of my great uncle was that he was killed at the age of 26 and left a widow and a six-year-old daughter back in Stirling. Now, thanks to the work of Rob Kirk and his friends in the Western Front community, I’m able to bring Private 6854 Alexander Kirkpatrick to life, after all these years. I’m very grateful.
Article submitted by Rob Kirk.