Meet the Smiths.
People always ask me what the scripts are from on my vases, and if you’ve followed my work for a while you probably know that they come from letters exchanged by my grandparents during the 2nd World War. Let me introduce you to the legends (in our family anyway) that are Fred & Marjorie Smith and tell you a bit about their story.
Fred was drafted into the RAF in 1940, aged 31 and thankfully worked in the weapon stores so didn’t actually have to fight. Marjorie was left bringing up 2 small boys, in Lancashire where she stayed with family.
Fred was sent out to East Africa and spent most of the time in Sudan, Eritrea and Syria. He didn’t want to go overseas mainly because he didn’t want to leave his young family. In one of his letters where he tells of the overseas posting he writes
”I have been down to the MO’s (medical officer) to try and get off draft with my eyes, but it’s no good, they are taking cripples almost’”.
It’s so sad to read of his lack of choice, but also made me smile as I can imagine him saying it with brave resolve and humour. He didn’t do self pity.
The letters which have been passed on to me are love letters, yes, they couldn’t wait to be reunited. “..but every day that passes is another day nearer to our reunion….., we weren’t meant to be seperated” but they are also relaying news of their day to day, updates on family and health matters. I thought I would share a snapshot into their lives at this time.
Fred looking very dapper on the right.
Believe it or not, those kids are both boys. My dad on the right, uncle on the left, obviously dressed in the shortest of shorts…and hats & coats.(?)
Along with the letters came lots of photographs, souvenir postcards, cinema tickets, even a couple of RAF magazines called GEN that were written by the staff at Khartoum Station but taking contributions from their readership which spread beyond Sudan into Eritrea, Egypt and Kenya. These are filled with stories, poems, RAF sport leagues and cartoons.
Thankfully Fred wrote the names of the places he visited and the year on the backs of each photograph and I have had quite a morning looking up some of these amazing places and learning of their history. In 1941 he took a photo of Suakin Island in the Red Sea, originally a rich gated island port built from coral. He wrote ‘The Dead City’ on the back of the photo is but it looks to have crumbled into more ruin since he took his picture. Current pictures on the internet compared to my grandad’s photo show how much of the city has been lost over the years. It is supposed to be being restored under an agreement with a Turkish agency made in 2017. What an undertaking, but it will be amazing once finished. There is a short film about the restoration here if you want to fall into the same rabbit hole as I have - click here
1941 - Suakin Island, Sudan
Don’t know exactly when this was taken but there’s not much left.
Another interesting photo is of a tapestry hung in the Church Army Hostel in Asmara, Eritrea which says on the back that it was Haile Selassi’s home. I’ll be honest, I had to look him up - Emperor of Ethiopia 1930-1974.
Tapestry on wall at army hostel in Asmara - former home of Haile Selassie. Was the tapestry his? What is it depicting? I see how folk get lost in research - so many narratives to follow!
Fred didn’t like to talk about the war, even when I asked him. It was a terrible time obviously and he didn’t like to ’drag it all up’. Seeing this wonderful stash of memories, I do wish he were here now so I could ask him questions about the amazing people he met and the places he visited and even what were the colours in that tapestry? I have so many questions about that tapestry!
Yes, you’re absolutely right, I love programmes like ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, where people investigate their family history and more recently, pretty much any documentary that David Olusoga has done, A House Through Time was particularly good. It tells the stories of many families that inhabited a house from when it was built up to modern day. Learning history through artifacts and keepsakes of people seems to float my boat. I think this is why I like museums and art - they give clues to narratives, hold records of our experiences and they tell stories about people. I can relate. If only they had taught social history at school rather than rote learning of political bills, repeals and dates of prime ministers, I might have done better.
I use the scripts from their war letters on my vases as the add the personal, human element that ties in with the idea of the handwritten scrolls, but these other stories from the cache of precious memories intrigue me too. Artists pick up inspiration from all over the place - things we see, things we hear and things we’re told or experience. Often those seeds of interest can take years to develop into something that makes it’s way into an artwork. I will let these ideas percolate for a while now but wonder how they might show up in my work down the line.
To round off the story of Fred & Marjorie for you, once the war was over, they returned to London and bought their 1st house in Friern Barnet where they lived for many years. They eventually moved to Broadstairs in Kent and enjoyed a happy retirement by the sea.