A Reputation Forged In The War

 Moving The Truck Another Yard is another work by Alfred Munnings, depicting the work of the soldier-lumberjacks of the Canadian Forestry Corps in the First World War.

Building A Mill At Labergement depicts the work of building the means to process that timber for the war effort.

Mill And Part Of A Camp gives us the final result of such an endeavour.

Watering Horses (Study) is the title of this painting.

Here we have Log Hauling And Loading.

Following the war, Munnings would have much of his work exhibited among other war art. This period would establish his reputation.

Lumbermen Among The Pines

 Today I start with this Munnings painting, Lumbermen Among The Pines.

An April Day In The Forest is the title of this one.

A Team Log-Skidding In The Forest (Jura) is the title of this moody painting capturing men and horses at work.

Here we see Four-Horse Team In The Forest.

A Black Team In The Jammer features a device called a jammer, meant to ease some of the workload.

This is The Grey Team.

Log Loading is seen here.

Supplying The War Machine

 Continuing on with where I left off yesterday, here we have a dramatic painting by Munnings: Charge Of Flowerdew's Squadron.

This is Study For A Mural.

After leaving the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, the next unit Munnings spent time with was the Canadian Forestry Corps, where a different aspect of the war effort showed itself to him. Here we have A Team Of Blacks And A Mill.

The work of the Corps was vital for the war effort, allowing for timber to reach the front without having to cross the ocean and be subject to attack by u-boats.

Felling A Tree In The Vosges is the title of this painting.

Fort Garrys On The March

With spring now upon us, it was time to switch out my header image for something fitting for the spring. This one was taken last May at Dow's Lake during the Tulip Festival. 

I showed you an enlarged version of this a couple of days ago. Major-General The Right Honourable J.E.B Seely CB, CMG, DSO is the title of this dramatic painting by Munnings, depicting a formidable Canadian commander on his horse, Warrior. The story in the accompanying panel concerning Seely's batman (personal servant) made me smile.

Here we have Watering On The March. 

This one is simply titled A Patrol.

The Fort Garry Horse was one of the cavalry regiments that made up the Canadian Cavalry Brigade. This is Fort Garrys On The March (I).

While this is Fort Garrys On The March (II).

The First World War would see the widespread end of horse mounted cavalry, which was already becoming outdated by the time of the American Civil War- though there were a handful of instances in World War Two. However, the fast hitting role of the cavalry would be resurrected and rejuvenated in the form of armoured cavalry- tanks and helicopter units.

Lord Strathcona's Horse On The March depicts members of another regiment of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade.

Devastation And Beauty

 Carrying on where we left off yesterday with this retrospective of war art by Alfred Munnings, here we have Ruined Barn At Ennemain, Near Athies.

Another similar subject: Ruined Chateau At Ennemain, Near Athies.

While the Western Front was a hellish landscape of damage and death, a few kilometres away one could still find undisturbed farms and landscapes.

A Streambed At Labergement, Jura Forest is the title of this painting.

Here we have another scene of tranquil beauty, so far and yet so near to the Western Front: Landscape Seen From The Slopes Of The Forest Of Dreux.

It was horses that time and again drew the artistic eye of Munnings, and horses that contributed so much to the war effort. A Grey Team, And Forest Of Dreux is the title of this painting.

December 1917, Nightfall is the title of this painting- though Munnings didn't actually arrive at the front until January 1918.

I close out today with enlarged sections of paintings you could walk between.