A painting donated by a notable Arbroath family to the art collection of the burgh has gone on display in the town after languishing in storage for many years, with some believing the work of art had been lost forever.
‘Backs to the Wall’, painted in 1932 by celebrated Scots war artist Robert Gibb was unveiled in front of an audience which included seven members of the Webster family, who had donated it in honour of Lieutenant Joseph Webster, who fell in action in 1914.
Speaking before the event, Sheila Ferguson-Smith, the daughter of William Webster who donated the painting said: “I am very excited that ‘Backs to the Wall’ will be on display once again.
“I had known about the painting all my life, and it was spoken of in the family quite often, but for many years after it was gifted to the burgh we feared that it had been lost forever, and would never be seen again.
“Lt Joseph Webster was viewed as a hero to the family, especially to his younger brother, and the establishment of the Webster Memorial Theatre and the ‘Backs to the Wall’ painting very much reflects that.
“Although I had heard a lot about the painting from my father and other family members, I had never seen it before last week, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to have a private viewing of it with Provost Proctor.”
The exhibition has been organised by the Black Watch Regimental Association in partnership with Angus Alive, and is currently being shown in Arbroath library, before being moved to Forfar later in the year.
The launch included presentations on the history of the painting, and WWI by Dr Fraser Brown, and Tom McCluskey, Chairman of the Tayside Branch of The Western Front Association.
The painting was inspired by Sir Douglas Haig’s famous Special Order of the Day, which was sent out to all ranks of the British army in France and Flanders in April 1918 and features a line of Scottish solders, bayonets at the ready, with fallen comrades.
Haig’s grim order underlines the serious situation the allied faced in 1918: “There is no course to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement.
“With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each of us must fight to the end…”
Angus Provost Councillor Ronnie Proctor, said: “This is a magnificent painting which exemplifies the heroism of those who fought in WWI, and I would encourage people to come and see it for themselves.”
