The sample article below appeared in the Autumn 2003 edition of the magazine. Because of limitations regarding colour printing in the magazine, the original article appeared illustrated with greyscale images. 

The web site gives us the opportunity to let you enjoy the article with its original colour images.

The Art of being Blind

 The work of one war artist and why it is of interest to military postcard collectors - published Autumn 2003

In a previous article “Postcards and The Durham Light Infantry” in Issue No 6 Spring 2003 I mentioned the tragedy suffered by my grandfather who was blinded by an exploding German shell at Arras in 1917.  As a result, apart from his resultant medical care needs, he lost his career and the means to support his family, not to mention the ability to continue to enjoy his sporting and leisure interests.  His experience was not uncommon and it presented society with a problem it had not had to deal with before – large numbers of people, young men, particularly, who were suddenly left to try and cope without their sight. As is often the case, thank goodness, ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’ and in this case never was it more needed!  One man, with the help of others including war artists, changed everything.

Arthur Pearson, had achieved fame through, principally, newspaper publishing.  He was on the Council of the National Institute for the Blind and was himself blind.  As a result of visiting some of the first soldiers to be blinded in the First World War he was made aware of their plight and the need for these particular casualties to be especially educated so as to ‘learn to be blind’.  Consequently, in 1915, he opened The Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Hostel in Bayswater Road.  By the end of the first month the two original patients had been joined by another fourteen and the increasing pressure on space led to a move to a house in Regent’s Park owned and made available freely by Otto Kahn, a New York banker.  This was known as St Dunstan’s Hostel and was the next stage in the rehabilitation of servicemen on leaving the 2nd London General Hospital which specialised in the first stages of care for the eye-injured.

The process of ‘learning to be blind’ was not an easy one for many of the blind were also injured in other ways and each small step of progress was hard won.  I know that for my grandfather it was a long process during which he underwent many operations to remove shrapnel and had to be taught to do almost everything again – washing, shaving, dressing and eating was only a start!  Order and routines became very important and from being very young I remember being reminded to always put things back in their place.

St Dunstan’s Hostel quickly expanded both in numbers and in training offered.  New buildings were erected in the grounds and additional staff taken on.  By Christmas 1915 there were 150 men well on their way to being prepared to face the rest of their lives blind.  All sorts of skills were taught so that none of them needed to be dependent on others for their keep and they were encouraged to explore their potential as sportsmen.  My grandfather, among other skills, was taught the elements of market gardening and St Dunstan’s helped set him up in business and was there to help in many other ways during his 56 years in darkness.  Braille was taught, of course, and this could be used at a basic level or advanced reading skills could be learned. I still have copies of the newspaper digests with which he was provided and a lot of other braille equipment - his special playing cards, dominoes, clocks, folding sticks and, most precious of all, his watch.

St Dunstan’s was a voluntary organisation and all sorts of ways of raising money were tried. As the blinded Somme casualties of 1916 began to flood into St Dunstan’s the need for more money became more urgent. A set of five postcards were commissioned, printed in colour and sold in a special envelope for 6d (the inflation adjusted price would be close to £1 at today’s values). Three of the five ‘Blinded For You’, ‘When Night Sets In The Sun Is Down’ and ‘Memories’ were painted by R.Caton Woodville while George Soper and Thomas Henry painted the others, ‘Pals’ and ‘You’ve Not Said How I’ve Growed, Daddy!’ respectively.  For me the pictures of R.Caton Woodville have a quality not matched by other artists striving for the same effect.

Richard Caton Woodville was one of the best war artists of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, his trademark being his attention to detail.  It was predestined that he would make his mark as an artist as both his parents were ‘in the business’ – his American born father was a war artist and mother a portrait painter - and wealthy enough to support him in his early days. He was brought up in St Petersburg, lived for a time in Paris and then began working for The Illustrated London News in 1875.  He went on behalf of The Illustrated London News as a war artist to the Turkish war in 1875 and the Egyptian war in 1882 for which The Fine Art Society also paid him £800 (equivalent to over £50,000 today) for a picture of the Battle of Kassassin.  That picture proved to be among the most popular exhibited by the Fine Art Society.  He also covered the Boer War 1889 –1902 and worked in the Balkans and Albania becoming increasingly interested in armaments of which he began to build a collection. These he would use later to ensure detail when painting. His work is all the more remarkable as much of the battle action that involved both horses and men was painted from memory and very detailed. Happily some of his work can be found on picture postcards including the Boer War issued by the Collectors Publishing Co. and Picture Postcard Co., a set of 12 “British Battles” published by Frederick Hartmann and “Gentlemen in Khaki” published by Watkins & McCombie. In 1916 he commendably used his talents for charitable purposes by assisting some of the casualties of what became known as The Great War.  He painted a series of special pictures for the National Institute for the Blind for reproduction on postcards to be sold to raise funds, and they illustrate well his talent and skill.

‘Blinded For You’, arguably his most famous fundraising picture, uses very powerful, realistic imagery to convey the action of battle and the immediate impact and danger of blindness.  One is left in suspense wondering whether or not the blinded man escaped whatever fate he was about to move into, and also made aware of the imminent danger to other soldiers as a result of the shell bursts - not just shrapnel but the perils presented by craters. 

The back of the card carries the following appeal “The soldiers and sailors blinded in the war have learnt to be blind at the headquarters of St Dunstan’s work in Regent’s Park and many are still learning.  After their training they go to their own homes or are set up in new ones to carry on the trades they have mastered.  Large sums of money are necessary for the after-care of these brave men who gave their sight for us in the war, and a permanent After-Care Branch which will look after them all their lives has been established which asks for your practical sympathy on their behalf….”

Incidentally, ‘Blinded For You’ was a popular title for St Dunstan’s postcards and was used on at least six different cards.

The second in the series was ‘When Night Sets In The Sun Is Down’.  Equally compelling and evocative, R. Caton Woodville portrays the helpless blinded soldier being guided to safety in the aftermath of battle by a Highlander while stretcher-bearers are at work in the background clearing away the human casualties of the battle.

My copy of this card has the following information on the back. “The suitability of Massage as a profession for blind persons has of late found ample proof in the success that has attended students trained at the Massage Branch of The National Institute for the Blind, Great Portland Street, London, W.  In the past two years 30 students, 24 being Blinded Soldiers from St Dunstan’s, have passed the examination of The Incorporated Society; every student after qualifying has obtained an appointment at a Military Hospital or other curative establishment. A medico-scientific library has been inaugurated for the use of Massage students, a blind Doctor being in charge of this section of the work.  Contributions will be gladly accepted by the Treasurer, The National Institute for the Blind, Great Portland Street, W."

The third of R.Caton Woodville’s contributions to the St Dunstan’s postcard appeal was ‘Memories'.

This is a different approach in which we see a blinded soldier in ‘hospital blues ‘ back home.  In this picture R.Caton Woodville uses some licence. We presume this is a casualty of the First World War but the officer is wearing campaign ribbons.  Medals and campaign ribbons had not, at the time of the publication of the picture, been issued for the First World War.  As John Laffin in his book “World War 1 in Postcards” points out this is very much an ‘upper class’ picture.  The wistful memories of the blind man are all of public school and the activities of the well-off but it makes its emotional point – life will no longer be the same!  I have two copies of this card which, though the same on the front, bear different messages on the back.  On one the message is the same as on the ‘Blinded For You’ card but the other gives more information about the extended services being provided by St Dunstan’s. It tells us “The Home Teaching Branch of the National Institute for the Blind is a very valuable one. It sends out visitors to the homes of the blind in various parts of the country, who act the part of ’guides, philosophers and friends’ in the best sense of the word.  There are a large number of blind people who have good reason to be grateful for the unobtrusive and valuable work carried on by the Home Teachers….”

Many other cards were issued by St Dunstan’s singly and in sets and they can form the basis of an interesting collection. If you would like to dig into this area a bit further then I would refer you to an excellent article by Tony Allen published in the March 1998 issue of Picture Postcard Monthly magazine entitled The House of Miracles which deals comprehensively with postcards and St Dunstan's’ (back issues are usually obtainable from Picture Postcard Monthly, 15 Debdale Lane, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5HT ).

St Dunstan’s is still fulfilling a vital need.  I was able to witness the range, quality and relevance of its support which gave my grandfather a new life and cannot think of a better charity to support if you are looking for one for your sponsored effort this year!