The Stanley Spencer Exhibition, and an historical walk - Saturday 25th January 2014

Just to prove that EFOG people are not always wading about in the mud at this time of year, on Saturday 25th January Chairman Pam proposed a trip to see an exhibition of painting by the artist Stanley Spencer being held at Somerset House. The works in the exhibition are normally housed in the chapel at Sandhurst and are temporarily on loans while refurbishments take place.

efog london civil 140126 2296artMemorial to the London Civil Service DivisionSpencer painted his pictures shortly after the 1st World War and reflect some of his experiences amongst the troops whilst working as a hospital orderly in Bristol and fighting in Salonika. They show domestic scenes rather than battles, men in very human situations that represented for the soldiers of the time a 'heaven in a hell of war'.  
 
efog london cleopatra 140126 2298art"twelve of the best looking English women of the day"After a short break, the group reconvened for a local walk led by Jim on some of the commemorative monuments to people who had been in the War. At the back of Somerset House there is a monument to some 2,000 plus men from the London Civil Service Division who gave their lives in an extraordinary numbers of campaigns running the entire length of the war through to 1919 and the Middle East. Heading back up to the Strand, the group learned about the formation of the Royal Air Force in 1918 from the combined forces of the Royal Flying Corps, who had done sterling work with the army since their formation in 1906, and the Royal Naval Air Service.
 
efog london camel 140126 2299artMemorial to the Imperial Camel CorpsDown on the Embankment, Jim talked about the damage done to Cleopatra's needle by Zeppelins and Gotha Bombers during the war, and pointed out the shrapnel scars still visible.  The ladies were then lined up for a photo in front of the obelisk. Very conveniently there happened to be twelve of us in the picture, as Jim explained the significance of this in his narrative: in the base of the monument is a time capsule, placed there in 1878 when the monument was finally retrieved from Alexandria. Amongst the other items placed on the capsule was a set of photographs of the twelve best looking English women of the day! Not sure that we quite live up to that acclaim, but it was a nice surprise to be associated with those glamorous ladies!
 
efog london burns 140126 2301artBurns' Birthday CelebrantsThe group then crossed over to Embankment gardens for a much smaller statue, representing the forces of the Imperial Camel Corps who operated out of Egypt during the First World War. The brigade comprised British, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops fighting against Ottoman forces in the Libyan Desert, and on into Palestine. Some of the units also assisted Lawrence of Arabia in the Arab revolt before the companies were eventually disbanded in 1919.
 
The tour finished in front of the statue of Robert Burns, appropriately enough on 25th January, Burns' birthday, celebrated by the groups a few days earlier with a feast at St Andrews Church.
 
Thanks to Pam and Jim for a very enjoyable day out.
 
Sue U., 26th January 2014