M.Rimmer Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 The artwork painted by servicemen directly onto the walls of buildings is a subject which has fascinated me since I first saw photos of some of the wall murals painted by members of the USAAF in East Anglia,several of which I have since been lucky enough to see in person. I recently bought the book "War Art,murals and graffiti-military life,power and subversion" by Wayne Cocroft,Danielle Devlin,John Schofield and Roger J C Thomas and published by the Council for British Archaeology,and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in military history. I didn't realise the extent of the more recent wall art at several of the former USAFE bases in the UK,unfortunately much of which probably won't be preserved. The book not only covers the stunning wall murials but also the more simple forms of art and graffity such as the pillbox on the Yorkshire coast at Auburn near Bridlington which had "Earwig Villa" written in the wet cement during construction!. Does anyone know of examples of military artwork or graffity which might be otherwise un-recorded?. Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 not sure about undiscovere stuff but I bought a fantastic book on German bunker art last year whilst in Normandy it is called DES BUNKERS ET DES HOMMES nd is by ALAIN DURRIEU unfortunately it is in French but contains some fantastic images of bunker art from all over the atlantik wall Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trustmeimamechanic Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Sure its not recorded , and even less sure its still there but - At whats now the Cats Protection HQ at Chelwood Gate but was previously know as The Isle Of Thorns is a mural in the old gym painted by Canadian soldiers who were based there in the run up to D Day . If it is not being preserved for the future then it should be . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 trustmeimamechanic If it is not being preserved for the future then it should be . Or at least photographed and recorded -I remember as a 12 year old being a bunker rat in the Channel island, I'm sure some of it will have been recorded and even some preserved but I wish I had the photographic technology of today back then -Kodak 126 cameras were a big leap forward in their time but one shot flash bulbs and the high cost of film was a great disadvantage in recording stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trustmeimamechanic Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 It may be worth me seeing if I can get a look .... its 10 mins up the road from me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Hi Matt, what happened to the mural at Llanbedr, has it now been destroyed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Rimmer Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Hi Degsy, The building it was in is still standing,but I was told the mural was painted over soon after the site changed hands. I'm fairly certain it was painted quite recently(1980's?) when Maes Artro became a museum so would probably not have been listed anyway but still a shame it's gone. There is another building I know of near Tywyn which has some very impressive murals which date from WW2,though unfortunately they are in an advanced state of decay and the owner of the building will not grant anyone access to record them. Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Next time I speak to the previous owner I will ask him about the date. Is there anything in the buildings which lie just off the road from Nefyn towards Dinas on the Lleyn? Not sure what the buildings are, maybe ammo stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Or at least photographed and recorded -I remember as a 12 year old being a bunker rat in the Channel island, I'm sure some of it will have been recorded and even some preserved but I wish I had the photographic technology of today back then -Kodak 126 cameras were a big leap forward in their time but one shot flash bulbs and the high cost of film was a great disadvantage in recording stuff. did you see the German paintings in Battery Mirus Guernsey these were really nice survivors which lasted in near perfect condition right up until some low life graffitied over them about 3 or 4 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo578 Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 ford 369did you see the German paintings in Battery Mirus Guernsey I think they were in the the one i got thrown off by the landowner-the one that had the bungalow nearbye. I only got into 2 of the 3 large instalations -the interesting thing was the SWR that had pulled the gun out during the scrap drives was still there. They had some Germanic grafity -the odd eagle and one with a girlie, but i wouldn't say it was the best. It was very hard going as the tunnels were partly underwater - aged 13 my "auntie" became very suspicous when I started to disappear with wellingtons in summer and of course any rope I could find:D. When I last went back in the mid 1970s some of the mirus tunnels/storage areas had been filled with discarded cars and junk. I found some spectactular stuff at one of the command centres - that still had its dummy windows made of wood but nearly 45years ago my memory is fading as too which one, in St Peters Guernsey -which is not good directions is it. The OP towers on the south west coast had the best drawing I've seen- very patriotic and military even in colour, ship ID warnings too -they must have feared firing on the supply ship from St Malo. One of the OP towers at Les Landes actually had anti -Hitler grafity -my father said it was post war as the Germans were too scared to do anything like that - -but i'm not so sure. It said ****** hitler with the heil part of heil hitler struck out and the expletive written above along with a crude(in both meanings) pofile of hitler with an addition:red: -dad wouldn't tell me what it actually said -as i said -a long time ago and a different more innocent world then:) Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 of the four main gun pits one is not really accessible as it has been turned into a sunken playground at La Hoguette school a second is used for paintball or airsoft cant remember which ,a third is in private ground (probably the one you mention with the bungalow) and the fourth is in the care of the occupation society,this is the one with the murals which I mentioned ,they are in the generator room and were in excellent condition although apparently not any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 The Feild HQ Telephone building next to the Strawberry farm at the top of L'Aleval was disgused as a bungalow, down to a piched roof and Chimmney pots. That had a painted window on the outside. Complete with a flower in a pot! Not so much a mural but the ramps down to the Ammunition storage bunkers at Noirmont and the oberservation towers at Mot Orguill castle have superb granite facings. This is real craft work, very out of place really. Most of teh bunkers had some form of external painted camouflage, or in the case od smaller ones a cladding of local material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 talking about the camo painting at Noirmont ,there are some great pics of the fake granite painted on the searchlight bunker at Corbiere ,I think they are on the axis history forum under the fortifications heading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Also on the CIOS and http://www.thisisjersey.co.uk/hmd/ The guns themselsves were painted as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Rimmer Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Next time I speak to the previous owner I will ask him about the date. Is there anything in the buildings which lie just off the road from Nefyn towards Dinas on the Lleyn? Not sure what the buildings are, maybe ammo stores. Hi Degsy, Doing some other research I just came across this entry in the Llanbedr ORB,June 7th 1943 "No.1 Dining hall has been repainted and there are hopes of winning Fighter Commands Dining Hall Contest". so my previous comment about the Maes Artro mural being painted in the 1980's may be incorrect,if you do speak to the previous owner I would be interested in any further info. Do you have any pictures of the mural?. I have never looked at the buildings on the Dinas road but I'm going out that way next week so will attempt to find out who owns them and ask permission to have a look. Cheers, Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 St Heler hospital at Carsholton had traces of camo on it up until a few years back. Where it sits on the hill you can se it from the top of Empress Sate Building in west London. Apparently it was white and the idea was to camouflage it so that it could not be used as a navigation aid by the Luftwaffe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Hi Degsy, Doing some other research I just came across this entry in the Llanbedr ORB,June 7th 1943 "No.1 Dining hall has been repainted and there are hopes of winning Fighter Commands Dining Hall Contest". so my previous comment about the Maes Artro mural being painted in the 1980's may be incorrect,if you do speak to the previous owner I would be interested in any further info. Do you have any pictures of the mural?. I have never looked at the buildings on the Dinas road but I'm going out that way next week so will attempt to find out who owns them and ask permission to have a look. Cheers, Matt. Hi Matt, I may have a picture or two showing part or all of the mural. I have taken some pics at dances in there so will have to look through my pics when I get chance. I will let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Also on the CIOS and http://www.thisisjersey.co.uk/hmd/ The guns themselsves were painted as well. whereabouts was the second picture taken ?cant place it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Hi Matt, I may have a picture or two showing part or all of the mural. I have taken some pics at dances in there so will have to look through my pics when I get chance. I will let you know. Have had a look at the pics I have but unfortunately they only show a small piece of the mural, stupidly I never took any specific pics of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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