Book Review - 'The War and Uncle Walter'

Admittedly, i started reading 'The War and Uncle Walter' a month ago but was distracted by other matters and so abandoned it in it's early stages. But over the last few days, after getting settled back into it, I finished it in two evenings. I originally found the book in Oxfam and gave it to my Uncle to read, as we share a keen interest in British History - particularly WW2 and The Home Front ('Dig for Victory' reigns true for both of us!) and he passed it back, knowing I'd love finding out about Uncle Walt!

The book is extracted from the 11 notebooks of Walter Musto, a gentleman who started writing on January 1st 1939 when he was looking forward to retirement and being able to spend more time pottering in his garden. Of course, WW2 ensured his year was anything but what he expected.

The magic of this book, is of course, Walter himself - delightfully eccentric, straight talking and poetic all at the same time! Nothing seemed to make him happier than 6am nude gardening (yep, you read that right!), his cup of tea and morning chat with his wife Alice Mary and commenting on his commute into London. Simple pleasures, which are often interrupted by the wailing of the air raid sirens.

"And so, with my dog sitting close, I enjoy the quiet morning, my tea and cigarette, my greenhouse - and my thoughts, in almost cloistered seclusion. Great possessions, truly."

Walter was too old to fight, so signed up to the local APR fire-watch unit, as he was still keen to be on some sort of front line. I'm sure the classic Home Front 'Dads Army' image springs to mind here, but in reality, these volunteers had a very tough job, juggling domesticality with risking their lives daily. Walter also grew mountains of vegetables and knitted scarves for the families bombed out of their homes, and often comments on sick or elderly neighbours he visits.

APR Wardens Helmet

The key to this generation is their ability to do and make...ANYTHING! A quality I admire strongly in my own Grandparents, and the main reason behind my love of that era - I respect their attitudes and practical approaches. People scoff at the 'stiff upper lip' but for me, it's a far better road to take in tough times. I think this is summed up perfectly in this extract, where Walter is collecting scrap metal for the war effort:

"But perhaps no incident of the day was more indicative of willing sacrifice than when an elderly widow, having handed over her contribution to the junk, as an afterthought, produced a bright shining brass and iron fender on which she said her husband loved to rest his slippered feet on winter evenings - he had been killed in action during the last war. 'But', said she, 'you cannot have it whole'. She took a large hammer, shattered it with vengeful blows and, on her late husbands account, handed me the pieces - for Hitler."

Personally, I connected most with Walter when he writes about his love for gardening and the seasons. He mentions the book "Green Grows the City" by Beverly Nichols's - which I HAVE to read very soon, as it sounds utterly divine:

"He expresses sentiments that cannot fail to find complete response in the heart of all decent folk, gardeners especially. One cannot intelligently tend a garden without sooner or later reflecting on the permanence of things of the earth, soil and their intrinsic timelessness...Beverly Nichols hits the nail squarely when he comments on the achievements of men which seem to him a little monotonous: 'Marching with bigger and better guns to louder and fiercer music...blind to the beauty that is around and above, deaf to all music save the snarl of the drum, marching to a destination that no man knows but all men dread. If these are the achievements of men, give me the achievements of geraniums...they at least have learned something with the passing of the years...if all men were gardeners, the world at last would be at peace.' Voltaire said much the same thing."

As Walter wrote in his introduction (which I have added to the end of this review!) men of that era weren't known for expressing their true emotions openly, therefore, for him to write so honestly is a particularly poignant aspect of his character. In speaking about his garden, he describes the futility of war, and our determination to ruin the natural beauty of our world:

"But the winter flowering begonias and chrysanths daily grow form strength to strength and already take the lead in the promise of joy for Christmastide. Nothing short of destruction will interfere with the progress of events in the greenhouse. Long may it continue to flourish that we may have beauty and colour about us in the midst of all this beastliness of war."

I found this book to be endearing, encouraging, pompous, quintessential British eccentricity, and most of all, an important discovery that helps narrate that era. There were, and still are, many Uncle Walter's in our midst, should we be lucky enough to find them, and personally, I have been very glad to make his acquaintance through this book.

In his own words:

"In this diary I have tried to relate the experiences of the secret, elusive, invisible life, which in every man is so far more real, so far more important than his visible activities - the real expression of life much occupies in other employment. To paraphrase Ruskin, these are the pieces of time, knowledge or sight of which my share of sunshine and earth has permitted me a slice. For the rest I ate and drank, loved and hated; my life was as like vapour and is not.

Myself I spoke to

Speaking to thee.

Walter Musto"

I give this wonderful book a warm 8/10. It's not for everyone, because I can tell his writing style could possibly prove grating to those wanting a meaty narrative, BUT if you consider yourself to have an interest in WW2 and the Home Front, it's unmissable! Thanks Uncle Walt!

As always, thanks for popping by!

Katie

Monthly Wish List - June

Well it's seemingly time again for this months Wish List, that came around very quickly! The flavour of this June, is of course, Jubilee and all things British, so forgive me one last dabble into royal memorabilia this year! First up, a 1953 silk coronation scarf, which caught my eye quite a while ago now, needless to say it went for some major ££'s so i had to give up! Compared to modern day souvenirs, I think this is in a different league! I know the V&A had some scarves to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee, but i can't say I was very taken with them.

1953 Silk Coronation Scarf, £28 from Ebay

On a similar "Blighty" theme, how about this authentic 1940s Home front embroidery of the UK, with adorable details which depict what areas are most famous for!  For example, London has St Pauls (complete with a blimp balloon fly over), fishing in Cornwall, etc!

Sold For £80 on Ebay HERE

It was from a pattern given in "Woman" magazine entitled "The Land We Love", which thankfully means there must be quite a few of these around! This is a particularly clean and bright example though, i even love the colour of the frame, although personally I'd turn it into a wall mounted piece rather than a fire screen.

Now, on a different note, how about these two little chaps? Early 1900s photograph, adorable little wire haired terriers. I love pet portraits from this era, as they must have really loved these dogs to give them their own portrait session! And in this case, two is definitely better than one!

 

1900s Dog Portrait, Found on Ebay

If you are a fellow dog-person, you may appreciate this charming tankard! A sturdy drinking companion, mixed with a hilarious Poodle handle, I absolutely love it, and i think Bruce would be more than happy to enjoy his ale in this! Am i right?

Pewter Tankard with poodle handle

Now for something utterly useless, but utterly charming! (My favourite sort of find!) This Home Gardener Championship Medal caught my eye because of the fantastic engraving of the people, very similar to prints done by my favourite Clare Leighton! I have googled it, and found no clues to where this has sprung from, as these championships go on worldwide, however it looks decidedly British to me, if only the chap had a pipe too!

Another cheeky vintage picture which seemed appropriate, as despite it being June, we are decidedly lacking in seaside-friendly weather! Its entitled "Early RP Cleethorpes Bathers" from the inter-war years (1918-1939) however I would say its definitely at the earlier end of the dates, ladies wouldn't have troubled themselves with those long skirts on the beach for much longer! They all look dashing, and i really enjoy the boardwalk behind them with the people admiring the view!

Cleethorpes Bathers Picture found on Ebay, sold for £7.99 HERE

And keeping on the coastal theme (because i am literally counting down the days until my Dorset holiday!!) my final Wish List item is this 1950s Yacht pattern decanter set, in a unusual tawny glass colour! A nice description by the seller too "This comes from a time when an after dinner drink meant a nip of cognac or some exotic liqueur brought back from a foreign holiday. Still charming for the table and an excellent addition to a home cocktail bar" - and i quite agree! A thoughtful description gives an item even more likability in my books!

Lets keep our sights set firmly on the summer everyone! The coastal themed items were also influenced by by best friend moving to Brighton this week, I will miss her everyday but I am excited to have a new seaside town to visit regularly, and i know she will love it there! 

Hope you have a great weekend, as always, thanks for reading!

Katie

Evelyn Dunbar

I thought I would dedicate this weeks entry to a very talented lady, Evelyn Dunbar who was born in 1906 - a true artist and all-round heroine. I believe she is one of the most important artists of WW2, and who still holds a unique position in twentieth century British art.

She was described by Sir William Rothenstein, principal of the Royal College of Art, as having ‘real genius’ and was the only salaried woman war artist in the Second World War.

Evelyn photographed April 1941 in the Lake District

She is especially known for her unsentimental paintings of the Women’s Land Army and of domestic life during the war, such as people queuing for fish and chips and rations. However, she was also an accomplished muralist and illustrator, as well as an inspiring teacher at The Ruskin School of Drawing and of Fine Art, Oxford. While she was still an RCA student she collaborated on murals at Brockley Boys School in Kent:

Brockley Murals, Prendergast-Hilly Fields College (Formerly Brockley School) 1933-36

An enthusiastic gardener, she collaborated with her mural tutor Charles Mahoney to write and illustrate Gardeners’ Choice,  As Elizabeth Bulkeley (Charles Mahoney's daughter) notes in her biographical essay, “They presented the plants that they liked to draw, paint and grow. The were sculptural and bold, yet subtle, and unusual for their time. Each was described lovingly, as if in sharing their favourite plants they were sharing their mutual happiness."

The inspiration for much of Dunbar’s early work lay in her devotion to nature and the natural world, and in particular the garden. She held a deeply rooted affection for the Kentish landscape and, like Charles Mahoney, had a passionate interest in plants and flowers and knew them in all their moods, and various stages of development. This empathy and understanding is embodied in her work and demonstrates what interested and preoccupied her for most of her life.

The outbreak of WW2 in 1939 closed Evelyns newly opened gallery, so she wrote to the War Advisory Committee (WAC) which had been set up to keep artists from being killed fighting and to keep culture and art thriving through the war, to be selected for a role as a war artist. The appointment of Dunbar, as a war artist by was announced in The Times on 25 April 1940 and she was the only salaried woman artist of the painters and sculptors employed.

Dunbar went to Sparsholt Farm Institute near Winchester for the first time in June 1940 to record the training of recruits to the recently reformed Women’s Land Army (WLA). She also travelled to Usk, Berwick and East Malling to complete WLA paintings. It was at Sparsholt that she met Michael Greenhill, one of the instructors, with whom she collaborated on A Book of Farmcraft.
 

 ‘A 1944 Pastoral: Land Girls Pruning at East Malling’ by Evelyn Dunbar

 A Land Girl and the Bail Bull (1945)

 Singling Turnips, 1942

These vivid, stirring paintings provide an important documentary record of women's work and contribution to the war effort. Like many other war artists she tended to fall out of sight of the mainstream,modernist art world, instead following the cessation of hostilities. It was important to show the enemy that Britain was thriving, and so these paintings became part of a touring exhibition. These works have become important documents of the change in society at the time, despite it being terribly hard work, these women found a very liberated existance, they could have independance after all! Many found it difficult to return to the "domestic" housewife role after the war, after all, they'd helped kept this country running for years, why go back to constant cooking and cleaning?

Dunbar’s most extensive body of work portrays other vital aspects of the war effort that she recorded included nursing subjects, and the Home Front. She wrote to the WAAC to inform them that she was:
“Now able to embark on the great work. I am being slow on this commission, as the subjects were so completely unfamiliar to me, and it has taken me some time to feel at home in them"

 Convalescent nurses making camouflage nets, 1944

 A Knitting Party, 1940

One of her most recognised works of the Home Front was "The Knitting Party" - a collection of women determined on sending home comforts to the men at the front. Activities such as this were a moral booster as well as a chance for the women to socialise and reclaim some normality - you can almost feel like you're there with them when looking at this painting, stunning light through that back window! The setting is the Dunbar family drawing room in Rochester

 The Queue at the Fish Shop, 1945

Evelyn recorded important shifts in society in a very honest and (I believe) typicaly 'British' fashion. Her colour choices are always perfect, the moody blues and greys of domestic life contrasted to the bright natural greens and yellows of the open fields where Land Girls found their freedom. I also think they are now nostalgic in the best possible way, they show what we should be proud of from that time. Her style was utterly unique - lyrical but true, using very brave perspectives which stem from her love of classical murals, but also, her love of people and in general, life. She was unafraid to show the everyday mundane moments which lay untouched by the more famous Male commissioned artists.

Evelyn sadly died at only 53 years old whilst walking with her husband near her home in Kent. She is a fine example to all those who have a passion for art, nature and finding beauty even in the most trying times. She worked extremely hard and didn't let day-to-day circumstances faze her, always remembered the importance of being passionate to learn. She should be considered a National Treasure of that time forever. The Imperial War Museum holds a collection of her work if you want to see more, or the fantastic book "War And Country" by Gill Clarke is a uncompromised study of Evelyns life.

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading! Many thanks to http://paintdropskeepfalling.wordpress.com for providing some fantastic images from the "War and Country" book.

Katie