Some 20 plus years ago a young man named Mark Warby was studying at school and had to do a history project. The life and times of Captain Bruce Bairnsfather was a subject that captivated his attention. Today Mark Warby is considered the expert in the life, times and history of this remarkable artist and cartoonist. Mark has collected many pictures, documents and other artefacts of the life of Old Bill. When Colwall Village Society decided to make and install a plaque to commemorate the life of Bairnsfather it was decided that it was fitting that such a plaque should be placed on the wall of the Royal British Legion Club. It was also thought fitting that it should be unveiled by Mark Warby who knew more about Bairnsfather than anyone else and had at one point been editor of a regular newsletter about Bairnsfather.
He was invited by the chairman of Colwall Village Society, Michael Milne, to attend and perform the unveiling. Bruce Bairnsfather's daughter 88 year old Barbara Bairnsfather Littlejohn was unable to attend the unveiling but sent a message to be read out by Mark Warby.
At the ceremony, which was witnessed by a considerable number of Bruce Bairnsfather enthusiasts, Mark Warby said:
"Sixty years ago a quiet retiring man and his wife came to Colwall making their home at The Dial Cottage in Evendine Lane. Colwall's newest resident was soon recognized as Captain Bruce Bairnsfather, the man who, thirty-five years earlier. had brought a glimmer of humour to the horror of the trenches, through his Fragments of France cartoons featuring Old Bill…..
The peace and quiet of Colwall was a world a way from the devastation of the First World War, during which Bruce Bairnsfather became the most famous cartoonist of his time. His humorous "Fragments from France" drawings of life at the front. and his creation of the character "Old Bill", a walrus moustached Tommy who epitomized the "fed up" type of war-hardy soldier at the front, brought him recognition throughout the English-speaking world.
Bairnsfather had gone to France in November 1914 as a Second Lieutenant with the 1st Battalion the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He emerged from the war as Captain Bruce Bairnsfather, creator of fragments from France, Old Bill and The Better 'ole. Now a major celebrity he was much in demand not only as a cartoonist but also as a playwright, author and lecturer. However Old Bill always remained the focal point of his work and the pair were inseparable throughout the rest of Bairnsfather's life.
By 1951 Bruce Bairnsfather had travelled the world with Old Bill and they had been feted and dined wherever they went. But now all the cartoonist wanted to do was live quietly and devote his life to painting Landscapes of the beautiful countryside he loved so much. He particularly wanted to make his home around Ledbury, and when a cottage came up for auction at nearby Colwall, it was just what he was looking for. Bruce Bairnsfather had found a "better 'ole".
In 1919 General Sir Ian Hamilton said the Bairnsfather "had rendered great service to his country as a soldier and as one who had done much to lighten the darkest hour, and he undoubtedly assisted considerably in maintaining the moral of the British troops." Despite such accolades Bairnsfather never received official recognition of his work.
I am delighted to have been invited to unveil this commemorative plaque, and would like to thank Colwall Village Society for this tribute to Bairnsfather. A great supporter of the British Legion, he would have been proud to know that the plaque had been put in such a fitting place.
Before I unveil the plaque, I would like to read a special message from Bruce Bairnsfather's daughter, Barbara Bairnsfather Littlejohn.
"I would like to thank Colwall Village Society and the Royal British Legion for their generous efforts to preserve my fathers work, as noted in this lovely commemorative plaque. My father was especially fond of Colwall and the beautiful Malvern Hills, and spent several of the last years of his life in the quiet solitude of the village, painting and sketching the surrounding countryside, at home in a apart of England that he knew and loved.
By the time my father moved to Colwall in 1951, many years had passed since the frightening days of the Great War that raged unmercifully and incessantly throughout Flanders and Picardy. It was always my fathers hope that from his battlefield experiences of that terrible conflict and the subsequent "Fragments from France" that followed, that somehow his artistic endeavours would serve as an inspiration to brothers in arms and to the devotion of those who gave so much to see this struggle through. For those who knew my father and are familiar with his work this plaque will be a most fitting tribute to the memory of that body of work, a unique illustrated record of the day to day trench life from the perspective of the common soldier. For those unfamiliar with Bruce Bairnsfather, Old Bill, Bert and Alf, perhaps this plaque will inspire further examination and recognition of his extraordinary career and exceptional artistic talent.
I regret that I cannot be present today at this special commemorative occasion, but I say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you one and all for this enduring gift of memorial gratitude."
Mark Warby unveiled the plaque on the outside of the Royal British Legion to great applause and then went on to say:" Inside you will find some exhibits highlighting Bairnsfather's career."
An extensive display of work by Bairnsfather was on display from china to paintings and cartoons done by him, along with photographs and pamphlets from his theatrical work. The gathered crowd were enthusiastic and very appreciative of the considerable number of Bairnsfather items on display in one room, making it into one of the largest single collections of Bairnsfather material in one place for the day.
Peter Garwood pgarwood@globalnet.co.uk 01600 860376
