Art Works > 100th Anniversary of WW1. 1914-18. Mixed media works by Gerry Gleason.

This work is dedicated to my Grandfather Robert Rea. He was mentioned in Despatches and was a message runner between trenches, so he must have been a very brave individual. He was hit by shell shrapnel and fell into a trench which probably saved his life. His skull was split apart at the top, which caused him severe headaches as no plate was ever fitted. He took to drink as many did to kill the pain, thus causing social problems for the families involved. Many of those who returned home with dreadful facial injuries never ventured out. The families post conflict surviving on modest pensions which barely covered their barest of needs. I think some of the most powerful works I have seen on WW1 were Otto Dix’s in Dresden which showed the dreadful reality of War in the trenches and Paul Nash’s Wastelands of the Western Front.