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Landrecies, 25 August 1914
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Landrecies, 25 August 1914
Landrecies, 25 August 1914.Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right W B Wollen 1915, by William Barns Wollen (1857-1936), 1915, exhibited at the Royal Academy 1915 No 664.The street-fighting in the outskirts of Landrecies, a town north-west of Le Cateau in Northern France, took place during the night of 25-26 August 1914, in the early part of World War One (1914-1918).The combatants were the advancing German 14th Infantry Brigade and the 4th (Guards) Brigade, withdrawing during the retreat from Mons. Meeting by chance, the two opposing units fought tentatively throughout the evening. The Germans eventually set light to straw-stacks near the British position with incendiary bombs, and the light from the flames can be seen in the painting over the rooftops in the distance. After midnight a howitzer of the British 60th Battery was brought up in support at close range and soon silenced the German guns, after which the enemy withdrew. Eventually, however, the Germans retook Landrecies and it remained behind German lines until the final advance by the Allies in 1918. It was liberated on 4 November by the 25th Division under its General Officer Commanding, General Sir Ronald Charles, to whom there is a memorial in the town, on the bridge over the River Sambre. Date: 1915
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Media ID 14394931
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1857 Academy Barns Dated Exhibited Lower Outskirts Signed Wollen 1936 Landrecies
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Landrecies, 25 August 1914
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is an oil painting by British artist William Barns Wollen, depicting the street-fighting that took place in the outskirts of the town of Landrecies, north-west of Le Cateau in Northern France, during the early hours of 26 August 1914. The painting, signed and dated lower right, was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1915 (No 664). The scene portrays the clash between the advancing German 14th Infantry Brigade and the 4th (Guards) Brigade, who were in retreat from Mons. The two units encountered each other unexpectedly and engaged in tentative combat throughout the night. In the painting, the light from burning straw-stacks in the distance, set alight by German incendiary bombs, illuminates the rooftops. After midnight, a British howitzer from the 60th Battery was brought up to support the British position at close range, effectively silencing the German guns. However, the Germans eventually retook Landrecies, and it remained behind enemy lines until the final advance by the Allies in 1918. The town was liberated on 4 November 1918 by the 25th Division, under the command of General Sir Ronald Charles, who is commemorated in Landrecies with a memorial on the bridge over the River Sambre. This poignant painting captures the chaotic and uncertain nature of the early days of World War One, with the clash of opposing forces in the darkened streets of a small French town. The use of light and shadow, as well as the inclusion of the memorial to General Sir Ronald Charles, adds a sense of historical significance to the work.
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