Exhibiting The Great War

Posted on February 24, 2024 by

12 Comments

We look at two exhibitions in two key institutions that connect us to the history of the Great War: the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres and Imperial War Museum in London. At Ypres we see an exhibition about the history of the war cemeteries in Flanders, and at the IWM a new gallery devoted to war art, photography and film.

Imperial War Museum – Restoration of the John Singer Sergeant Gassed painting.

For Evermore – Ypres

Blavatnik Gallery, Imperial War Museum

Category: Flanders, Podcast Episode, War Art, WW1 at Home, WW1 Film, Ypres

12 Comments on “Exhibiting The Great War”

  1. An absolutely fantastic presentation, Paul. This makes me want to pack my bag and get to Ypres and the IWM sooner, rather than later. Peace.

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  2. Good morning Paul. Exhibiting the Great War Podcast. Once yet again as you often say, the various paths of the Great War cross into the present day and on so many occasions, something that either myself or Lee, my Son are in the middle of being involved with, crops up almost at the same time as a Podcast from you. Towards the Autumn of last year, I heard about a Grave Marker at one of the local Parish Churches where I live in Tonbridge Kent. ” Saint Saviour`s “. It seemed that it was going off to the temporary Exhibition at The Flanders Field Museum. My ears pricked up and thought, I must find out about this because for a start, these Markers are as rare as Hens Teeth. I asked a few questions at the Church where I have my coffee quite often and frankly, little or nothing was known about the Grave Marker only that it had been there in the Church a very long time. I could not even find out how The Museum had come to hear about it. I was shown a photograph of the Grave Marker and noted everything that was written on it. R.I.P. In memory of 2/LIEUT. O.M. GIBSON. 106. BTY R.F.A. 7th DIV. Died of Wounds 27.8.16 I have a dear friend who is a real Wizz around the internet as we have been doing this along with other connected interests around the Great War. One or two of the local congregation said to me before I saw the picture that they remember it being there but took little or no notice of it. One thinking that it was of an Airman. It had been left against a wall within the Church. My friend got to work and discovered straight away that the Surname , Gibson was only half the full name. Once he had that he was able to add a lot more information in and around this young Officer. We gathered it together and passed it all along to those concerned at the Church. Unfortunately when I tried to find out from the Museum online more about our Officer who is part of the Exhibition, I kept coming up blank. His Grave Marker most certainly went off from here to be part of the Temporary Exhibition but again, even with the photographs I have seen online and then your photograph Paul on the Podcast, I cannot get a good view of it on display. I have though stirred the pot back here a little by suggesting that on the Grave Markers return, some effort must be made to preserve it properly in a display case along with all of the information that my friend Peter discovered by way of records . I wonder Paul, would you be able to place this Officer into a time and place regarding his death. 27th of August 1916. The 7th Division. R.F.A. Would you suspect the continuing Battle of The Somme. Any thoughts or information would be most helpful to add to the story of 2/Lt O.M. Gibson. Like you Paul, I think it is vitally important to preserved and record such artefacts and treasures to pass onto younger generations who as yet do not know these stories and what these young men did. Best wishes, David and Lee Hanmore.

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    • Hi David – sorry, I missed your question. Pop me an email via the site and I will see what I can find. I have a history of the 7th Division owned by an RFA man and he mentions a few officers in it!

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      • Hello Paul. Ref my reply , Exhibiting The Great War and your request for me to drop you an email with details and attachments. I have sent these via your Podcast gmail.com address. Hope that it finds you ok Best wishes, David

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  3. Hi David, was interested to read your response. Wonder if you are aware of the website returned from the front, it was a project during 2014-18 to research and list all the ww1 grave markers that are preserved around the country. Many of these are in churches. Yours should be listed on there.

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    • Dear Margaret, thank you very much for your reply/ comment and pointing me in the right direction regarding The Grave Marker Cross { Returned from the Front } website. I have looked at the link and sure enough, there it is at St Saviours Church Tonbridge. I have taken the information and added it to my ever increasing file on this Great War artifact. Thank you once again. Kind regards, David.

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  4. Further to The Grave Marker. More information. Dear Margaret and all. Here is a short biography of Ollyett A. Mends-Gibson.

    1916BIOGRAPHY:

    2ND LIEUT. OLLYETT ARCHIBALD MENDS-GIBSON, 22ND BRIGADE, ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY. DIED AUGUST 27TH, 1916, AT CORBIE, OF WOUNDS RECEIVED IN ACTION IN TRONES WOOD, AUGUST 22ND. AGED 20.

    At the School 1910—14 (Day Boy). Ollyett A. Mends-Gibson was the younger son of Mr. Henry Christopher Mends-Gibson, formerly of Dry Bank House, Tonbridge, and now of 12A, Westminster Palace Gardens, S.W., and the fourth son of Mrs. Mends-Gibson, widow of the late Mr. John Hood. He entered the School in September, 1910, and leaving from the Science Fifth in July, 1914, entered St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington. Though very keen on his preparation for his profession, he volunteered for service, and on January 31st, 1916, became a cadet in B Reserve Brigade, E.H.A., at St. John’s Wood, and went through his training there, on Salisbury Plain, and at Okehampton.

    He received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant R.F.A., June 24th, 1916. His elder brother, Douglas Mends- Gibson (J. H. and D. B. 1909—12), after enlisting in the 16th (P.S.) Battn. of the Middlesex Regiment in September, 1914, received a commission in the R.F.A. (S.R.) in April, 1915. He saw much service in France with the 163rd Brigade, R.F.A., from 1916 to 1919, was awarded the M.C. in January, 1919, and was granted rank of Captain. O. A. Mends-Gibson went to the front on July 10th, and on August 19th his battery, the 106th Battery, 22nd Brigade, R.F.A., was ordered up to Trones Wood, near Guillemont, where fierce fighting was in progress, and on the 22nd he was wounded by a shell. The wound was not at first thought to be very serious, but he died at the casualty clearing station on August 27th, 1916. The medical officer and the sister-in-charge wrote to say how attached to him all had become and how very deeply they regretted his death. His parents have received many tributes to the uprightness of his character and his unusual abilities when he was called upon to use them, and the surgeon at St. Mary’s Hospital wrote: ” I cannot refrain from expressing my admiration for him, even apart from his glorious death. He was an exceptionally good influence at the hospital and through all walks of life.” His Major wrote : ” We all hoped that the wound would not prove serious. He was so plucky about it and made light of it. . . . Short though his time had been with the Battery, his keenness and pluck showed him to be a very good

    officer.” He was buried in the Soldiers’ Cemetery, at Corbie, near Amiens.

    There is mention of a CCS near Trones Wood and Guillmont. I have made some enquires and I see there is a location where this CCS might have been. Molzt Horn Farm. Nothing exists today I gather but very close by is a Crucifix. As Paul has pointed out on previous Podcasts, this location may too close to the front line for a CCS. Now whether this location is far enough back to have been a CCS I am uncertain. Perhaps Paul might have more knowledge on this matter. Ollyett may have made it back as far as Heilly Station but that is as far as he got before succumbing to his wounds. If Paul reads this, I would be very interested to hear his thoughts on either of these medical possibilities.

    Kind regards,

          David.

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  5. I have just spotted an error in the Official Written Description of the Grave Markers that were on display in the Flanders Field Museum temporary exhibition of Ollyett`s Christian name. They have spelt it with only one L. On his MIC and the rest of his official documentation his name is Ollyett.

    Interesting.

         David.

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  6. Great podcast Paul covering two must see exhibitions. Some of the guidebooks that you mentioned early on, are available as N &M Press reprints.

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