Woodcut of Blitz?

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by PRcrab, Nov 8, 2017.

  1. PRcrab

    PRcrab Member

    I've come across the attached woodcut print, apparently of London in the Blitz, which is intriguing, to say the least. It's about 6 x 4 cm, printed on tissue paper. Barrage balloons. Buildings in a London square? Anti-chemical or firefighter's mask? Inset of the same scene by night with exploding AA shells?

    Does it mean anything to anyone?

    Thanks,

    Peter
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

    Can you make out the name of the printmaker, it appears to have an edition number?
     
  3. PRcrab

    PRcrab Member

    Guy, thanks for responding.
    I've looked more closely and I think the pencilled name is Julius Gollett and the edition is 1/15. On the right it shows 1939, which is odd for the Blitz.
    Peter
     
  4. ARPCDHG

    ARPCDHG Member

    It's a bit odd... what's the black square in the middle? It looks like a sort of night street scene, but why is it floating in the middle of the rest of the picture?
     
  5. idler

    idler GeneralList

    The pre-Blitz date isn't really an issue. Preparations against air bombardment started quite early. It's interesting that the focus is on gas rather than bombs. Because of that I can't quite decide what the bell tents mean - shelter for the bombed-out or an evacuation?
     
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  6. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

    I have checked for a birth or death record, including variants of the name with no results?
     
  7. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

    Searching online for similar images doesn't bring up anything useful either.
     
  8. Tolbooth

    Tolbooth Patron Patron

    The SP on the helmet of the figure on the right is Stretcher Party. It also looks like they're wearing a NBC "Noddy suit" so maybe post-war and into the Cold war period if that helps any.
     
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  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    WW2 era anti-gas cape & helmet cover.

    [​IMG]



    Probably woodcut done postwar by an art student.
     
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  10. Tolbooth

    Tolbooth Patron Patron

    I stand corrected !
     
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

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  12. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  13. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Note the sandbags around the walls of the tent. Perhaps it was inspired by a pre-war civil defence exercise?
     
  14. Drayton

    Drayton Senior Member

    The edition No 1/15 suggests that only 15 were printed, of which this was numbered 1.

    There is nothing specifically "London" about the scene; it could be any town; curiously, although pre-war concerns about expected bombing related primarily to people being targeted in their own homes, it is not an obviously residential context. The building on the right appears to be a mammoth office block, not nearly as common in the 1930s as they became post-war. The building on the left might be flats, but if so,an unusually large block for the period. What would be more redolent of people's fears would be a street of ordinary houses, with gardens, and smoke coming out of the chimneys reminiscent of homely firesides.

    The lack of any damage whatsoever confirms that it is not the Blitz. A more fitting title might be, "Preparations for what became known as the Blitz". It is also a montage of individual images squashed together, as for example two Anderson shelters unrealistically jammed side by side. Incidentally, it is the Anderson shelters which make the scene specifically British, as distinct from any European town facing potential aerial bombing.

    The bell tents are certainly odd. Possibly they represent temporary shelter for people bombed out; or possibly they represent temporary accomodation for rescue workers sent to a bombing scene. Either way, in reality bell tents played no part in the Blitz.

    The woman on the left is wearing the gas mask issued to all civilians; she seems to have borrowed a man's hat, not that it would give her much protection, except possibly against rain. The man on the right, an ARP worker, with "SP" for "Street Patrol", emblazoned on his "tin" hat, is wearing the gas mask issued to armed forces, ARP and other emergency services personnel, where air filtering equipment was too large and heavy to be worn simply as an extension of the face mask, so was carriied in a special canvas bag hung from the neck, with a tube connecting it to the face mask. In the event, of course, gas was never used in WW2, and gas masks were only ever worn in practice drills.
     
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  15. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I thought (as Tolbooth also said ) that SP = Stretcher Party.

    I know it's wikipedia but...

    Helmets

    W for Wardens (some Warden/Fire Guards had W/FG). Rank within the warden service was denoted by a white helmet and black bands.
    R - for rescue services (later HR and LR were used for heavy and light rescue parties)
    FAP - first aid parties
    SP - stretcher party (to carry injured from incidents)
    A - ambulance drivers
    M - messenger/runner

    Air Raid Precautions in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia




    [​IMG]
    THE RECONSTRUCTION OF 'AN INCIDENT': CIVIL DEFENCE TRAINING IN FULHAM, LONDON, 1942. © IWM (D 7883)
    IWM Non Commercial Licence

    Men of the 'light rescue', previously known as stretcher parties, rush past a row of cars to their vehicles at their depot, somewhere in Fulham. The leader is wearing a white helmet, and can be seen to the right of the photograph, leading his men to their transport. They plan to take two cars to the incident, to deal with minor injury cases. It is interesting to note that the men still have 'SP' for Stretcher Party painted on their steel helmets.



    [​IMG]
    LIFE IN A BASEMENT AIR RAID SHELTER, SOUTH EAST LONDON, ENGLAND, 1940. © IWM (D 1623)
    IWM Non Commercial Licence

    Tea and buns are supplied by local Air Raid Precautions (ARP) workers to fellow ARP workers and civilians in this basement shelter in South East London. The boy with the tray of mugs wears a steel helmet with the letter 'SP' indicating that he is part of a Stretcher Party, whilst others can be identified as wardens by the 'W' on their helmet. This photograph was taken in November 1940.
     
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  16. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Trying out various name possibilities I came across the Canadian artist Julius Griffith who happened to be in England at the outbreak of war.

    "During the war he worked with the “Air-raid Precautions” for a time and eventually joined the Red Cross. In 1941-42 he worked in a country-house hospital in Sussex. With little to do, he taught art and learned Russian. He joined the Royal Navy as an interpreter under the rank of Sub-Lieutenant. From 1942 till the end of the war Griffith was stationed in Murmansk and Archangel. In November 1946 Griffith returned permanently to Canada."

    He did create prints using the wood and lino cut method. Here's an example from 1956 with signature. Both the J and G are similar in formation to the signature on Peter's print.

    Toronto by Julius Griffith 1956.jpg

    A link or two:

    Julius Griffith
    http://www.canartscene.com/moreinfo.asp?record=326&info=13

    Anyway I'll submit that though it could all be a curious coincidence.

    Regards ...
     
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  17. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

    Cee brilliant, you've nailed it, look at the signatures.

    Screen Shot 2017-11-10 at 17.56.02.png
    Screen Shot 2017-11-10 at 17.55.10.png
     
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  18. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Guy,

    Yes I think he's our man. Julius Griffith it turns out was a well known and respected figure in the Canadian art scene. In the photo attached he is the tall man seated to left front.

    Griffith left front - Diamond Jubilee Com.jpg

    Diamond Jubilee Committee, 1985. The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour. John B. Aird, Lt. Gov of Ontario, Wil Ogilvie, Julius Griffith, Cynthia Kemerer and Anthony J. Batten

    The John A. Libby Fine Art Gallery carry a booklet on his life and works.

    Fine Art Pocket Booklet Series - Libby Fine Art

    Regards ...
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2017
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  19. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I think you win the forum ''medal for being a clever bastard'' for this year :)
     
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  20. Drayton

    Drayton Senior Member

    My interpretation of "SP" as "Street Patrol" derived from my coming across a small collection of material inherited from a former ARP worker. It included a handbook (small pamphlet) for local ARP workers, which referred to Street Patrols, but not Stretcher Parties, together with an armband emblazoned "SP". I drew my own conclusions.

    It now appears that the term "Stretcher Party" did not last long, it presumably being recognised as inappropriate, since stretchers would have been only part of the work involved. The new name "Light Rescue" would have more fittingly reflected the general work of rescuing air raid victims, whether trapped in fallen buildings, immobile because of injury, or both. "Light" would mean "without specialist skill or equipment", such as the Fire Brigade would use.
     
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