Armistice Day

Armistice Day

🟢 £35,000 View Details ▶️ | Contact CJB 

Rigid hands coloured in gangrene,

Hold frozen rifles staring at the fog.

Explosions thump and rattle as 1-

2 minutes of hell begin the battle.

Skeletal hands coloured in blisters,

Hold hot rails staring at the jungle.

Insects scream from every branch as 1-

2 minutes of hell begin the march.

Tender hands of numerous colours,

Hold nervous kin staring at the crowds.

Cheers fill the air from enemy to friend as 1-

2 minutes of ceasefire begin the End.

Wrinkled hands coloured in age,

Hold faded medals staring at the past.

Respect and peace lead the way as 1-

2 minutes begin the Armistice Day.

10 Nov 2023

CJB Notes: This artwork (the print and the poem) were inspired by my grandfathers. Two of my real life heroes. My dad's father fought in World War 1 and survived. The story of him getting frostbite as his hands stuck to his rifle has stayed with me since I was a child. I never met him as he died in his fifties. Yet his memory of being a survivor carries me on when life gets challenging. My mum's father (who I grew up knowing) fought in World War 2. He was captured by the Japanese in Singapore in 1939 and survived the entire war in the hell they placed him. He survived several camps on the infamous Burma railway, then he survived the hell ships and finally, to show how crazy war is, he also survived being shot in the leg (after having survived the sinking of his hell ship) and was floating in the shark infested waters off the Philippines. This artwork reflects some of their experiences. I also realize there are many other stories which many of you hold dear to them. Armistice Day every year is the time when the world can stop and remember those who have passed on and be reminded that silence and peace is something we should maintain and respect no matter our religion and or beliefs. 

Bonus Artwork:

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