The Very Special Painting

When I moved to Somerset in 2014 I slowly began to meet local people and make contacts with similar interests to mine. One of those was a partner in the local antiques shop, his name was Geoff Allen, he is a collector, dealer, local historian and a font of knowledge about the Great War locally. We both have an interest in the NSY and in the past he had acquired a number of medals and items associated with the regiment.

One day when I called into the shop he said he had something for me, he produced a rather childish painting of a battle scene, I wasn’t very impressed but tried to keep it to myself. Geoff then told me of how he came by the painting, a while back he had bought a collection of Yeomanry items from the family of a chap who had died. The painting was part of the collection but had no real monetary value so Geoff stored it away, when he became aware of the work I was doing on the NSY he thought I would be a fit custodian for the painting and handed it to me.

The picture itself is a very simple and naïve version of the Battle of Arras April - May 1917 in which the 6th Cavalry Brigade took part (NSY were part of the Brigade) Painted on board and simply framed it shows the charge by the cavalry of the German trenches with German guns firing at them from positions in front. On the reverse were three pieces of note paper with handwritten notes by the painter. Pte. Richard James DUFTY 1666 NSY was part of the charge on that day.

Here is a short obituary written by Pte. Dufty’s great grandson, it is from my forthcoming Roll of Honour of the NSY in the Great War.

Richard James ‘Jim’ Dufty was born in Bedminster, Bristol on the 21st December 1893. He grew up attending school, and began working part time when he was 12 years old, helping out with domestic duties. Jim left school when he was 14, and soon after began working for the printing company E S & A Robinson.

 In May 1915, Jim and his friend Henry ‘Harry’ Blackburn, joined the North Somerset Yeomanry. They arrived in France on the 11th October 1915. Jim served with the 1st/1st North Somerset Yeomanry until they were disbanded in early 1918. He then spent the rest of 1918 serving with the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. In late 1918, Jim was injured in a training exercise, after his horse accidentally toppled onto his leg. He was sent back to England, and was recovering in Liverpool when the Armistice was signed.

 After the war, Jim returned to E S & A Robinson, who he had left in 1915. This was where he met Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Pett; they married in 1925. When the Second World War broke out, Jim joined & served in the Home Guard. In 1945, Jim & Betty had a daughter named Barbara. He retired aged 65, after spending almost his entire career with E S & A Robinson. Jim had two grandsons; when they were growing up in the 1970s, Jim would regularly take them out to the local park to play football – something he always loved doing.

His beloved wife Betty passed away in 1984. After living a healthy and happy life, Jim passed away in 1990, aged 96. A brilliant father and grandfather, he was always kind and thoughtful to those around him. Jim, like many of his generation, wasn’t gifted an easy life, but what he did have was the gift of showing the greatest determination, no matter the circumstance, to do the upmost best for himself and his family. He was always a very positive person, even through the hardest of times. The memories of Jim, and the stories that he told, will be cherished forever by his family. “It is better to lose money than to lose a good friend. That is the lesson I have learned in my life.”

James Clements, biography and photographs.

Bristol August 2020

The painting hung on my ‘study’ wall for a number of months until one day I was reading a post on the Great War Forum which mentioned Pte. Dufty, after a little back and forth posting it turned out that it WAS the same chap who had done the painting and that the person doing the research was the Great Grandson. He wasn’t aware of the painting though his father remembered it, believing it to have been lost. I thought for a little while and came to the conclusion that the painting should be returned to the family. I arranged to meet the Grandson, James Clements and his father to hand over the picture and explained that I loved the picture simply for who had painted it and how in his 91st year Jim Dufty still felt the need to tell the story, I hoped that they would enjoy having their family history back.

Recently the Clements family presented me a copy of the painting which is back in the place of honour.