Monday, July 12, 2010

World War One Sewing Kit, Oil Painting by Linda McCoy


My grandfather drove an ammunition truck in the first world war. He was in the 1st Division and was stationed Belgium and Germany. He was in the Army from 1917-1921. His honorable discharge papers say he was of “superior integrity.” I remember him as kind, gentle and soft spoken.  We lived in a two flat and my grandparents lived upstairs, so they were very much a part of our young lives. He died when I was eleven, and I remember the great sadness I felt.

On a recent trip back to Chicago to see my parents, my father gave me this little army sewing kit that belonged to him. It is battered from the war and missing it’s thimble. I wonder about the thimble. The simple answer is that my grandmother needed one and just used the one from the kit. Maybe it was lost in a foxhole while trying to mend his uniform or sew on a button. Maybe it was lent to another soldier. Maybe, it still lies in a field somewhere, buried for someone else to find. We are all grateful he made it home, so many did not.
Thanks for passing this on to me Dad, I'll take good care of it.
6"X6" Oil on hardboard.
Lindamccoyart@live.com

8 comments:

A Chicago Make Up Artist said...

Awesome. The end.

Bree said...

A lovely post for a lovely painting. :)

Unknown said...

I never knew my great grandfather. This painting and its story are a gift, one that makes me imagine who he was and what he lived through. The truth is that thimble, in its absence, was handed down to each of us, still here and able to reflect on our family origins. Lovely.

Linda McCoy said...

Thanks for your lovely comment Julie!

Linda McCoy said...

Thank's Bree, glad you like!

Linda McCoy said...

Thanks Krista!

David said...

Nice!

Linda McCoy said...

Thanks David!