Chattri #2

It is by coincidence that I chose today - 1st July and the centenary of the first day of the battle of the Somme - to start cutting my new design "The Chattri". This memorial, on the South Downs, is dedicated to the men of the Indian Army who gave their lives in the 1914-18 War. I visited the Somme about ten years ago, primarily to find the grave of one of my relatives from the Royal Devonshires - who lost 463 of their 775 men that day. I also remember going to see the area near Delville Wood where Indian cavalry regiments were ordered to charge reinforced German positions on 15th July. The consequences for men and horses are beyond description. I hope that I can finish this print by then.