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The Guardian
05-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Homefires burning: how a cache of passionate love letters shows the second world war on two fronts
During a house move, a cardboard box belonging to my husband Matthew's grandparents came to light. Inside we found thousands of love letters sent between the Manchester Guardian journalist Gerard Fay and his wife Alice, during the second world war. They were jumbled up and undated, and reading them all seemed a daunting task, so the box was shelved. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Matthew is an academic writing a book about an earlier generation of Fays, Frank and Willie, the actors who co-founded Dublin's Abbey theatre with WB Yeats. Frank was Gerard's father, so when lockdown happened we decided to tackle the correspondence, to see if there was any useful information for Matthew's book. We discovered so much more. Called up to fight in 1940 at the age of 26, Gerard Fay joined the army as an ordinary soldier while his wife Alice – or 'Loll', short for Lollipop – remained in the north of England. Matthew and I used datable events, both domestic and global, to order the letters, and a story began to unfold of Gerard's rise through the ranks, his service on D-Day and subsequent wounding, and Loll's life on the home front. Loll, a former teacher, was evacuated from Manchester and went to live with various relatives in cramped conditions with their toddler Stephen and, later, baby Elizabeth. Rain poured through the ceilings and there were mice in the drawers. Making nutritious meals during rationing was a constant challenge and she worried about measles, whooping cough and her son's education. Stephen dirtied his pants and lost clogs and caps. But Loll was a make-do-and-mend expert and avid knitter. She loved fashion and hoped for enough clothing coupons to buy a non-utility suit for a wartime wedding. Alongside his basic training, which took place all over the UK, Gerard found himself representing soldiers at courts martial, censoring letters, giving lectures on current affairs to the troops, and even writing a precis of the Beveridge report. He met Polish, Canadian and American soldiers and there were endless schemes where he ran for miles, fell off motorbikes, slept under hedges and wished he had a leather waistcoat to keep him dry. He laughed at the absurdities of army life and continued to write for the Guardian under the pseudonym 'Infantryman'. What is most striking is the modern quality of their relationship. Loll wrote openly about her depression, they quarrelled by letter, they discussed their sex life. They fantasised about what they would do when Gerard was home on leave, discussed the pros and cons of contraceptive methods, and worried that they had been careless and that baby number three was on the way. Throughout the four years they were apart, the couple nourished their relationship with lively debate of novels such as Aldous Huxley's Point Counter Point, jokes about Gerard's passion for Ginger Rogers, accounts of trips to cafes, pubs, concerts, dances and 'the flicks', and gossip about family and friends. Gerard and Loll were bound by their social conscience too – they hoped for class equality after the war, and Loll pledged to write to her MP about the injustice of family allowance being paid to fathers not mothers. The intimate letters give valuable insight into what life was like for ordinary men and women during the war. Many wartime letters and diaries exist, but this dual correspondence is unusual as it reveals both sides of a family story. Matthew and I knew we had something special on our hands and began to publish the correspondence. Then a trip to the theatre took us in a new direction. Last June we caught Red Sky at Sunrise, the brilliant Laurie Lee production starring Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett, who appears in Netflix's Missing You. I immediately thought that a reading of our letters by two young actors, underscored by an onstage orchestra, would be a powerful way to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. I am delighted that this is now a reality. I had already set my heart on Charlie to portray Gerard and was so pleased when Daisy Waterstone, who plays Margo in ITV's The Durrells, took the role of Loll. The music, arranged and performed by Le Page Ensemble, will be both 1940s and classical. Dear Loll: A Wartime Marriage in Letters premieres at Wilton's Music Hall in London this month, and the plan is to take it to theatres and festivals around the UK. Matthew and I have written the script and the scene is set. We publish the next batch of letters (1941-42) this month, with a final edition (1943-44) in September. The words of the Fays bear witness to the consequences of conflict, not just in terms of the bloodshed but also in the dismantling of day-to-day life, and it is imperative that their story is told. Dear Loll: A Wartime Marriage in Letters is at Wilton's Music Hall, London, 30-31 May. Then touring
RTÉ News
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
LS Lowry painting bought for £10 sells for more than £800,000
A rare painting by LS Lowry originally bought for £10 has sold at auction for more than £800,000. The painting, Going To The Mill, was bought by literary editor of the Manchester Guardian, Arthur Wallace, for £10 in 1926 and has been in the same family ever since. Today, the artwork sold at auction at the Mall Galleries in central London for £805,200, including buyer's premium. Lowry, who was lauded for his portrayal of everyday industrial scenes in northwest England, painted the piece in 1925. Going To The Mill is marked on the back as being £30, but Lowry let Mr Wallace have it for £10. It is believed to be one of the earliest sales made by the Stretford-born painter. He also gifted him an additional work, The Manufacturing Town, which the family sold several years ago. The artwork, which has been in the Wallace family for the last century, was recently on long-term loan to Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Simon Hucker, modern and contemporary art specialist and head of sale, Lyon And Turnbull auction house said: "We're absolutely delighted by the price achieved for this exceptional, early painting by Lowry, bought from him when he was a virtual unknown. "There are few artists who become a household name in Britain and Lowry definitely falls into this category." Mr Hucker added: "This is a painting shows that Lowry at his conceptual best, no naive painter of 'matchstick men', as the old pop song went. "Instead he is an artist of true dexterity who is making deliberate formal choices, abstracting the figure in order to express an idea about loneliness and isolation within the teeming city. "Going To The Mill is the epitome of a 1920s Lowry, the period when he becomes a unique voice in British art. "It is especially rare is for a painting such as this to have been in one collection for one year shy of a century and we are delighted to have played a small part in its history." In 2024 a Lowry painting titled Sunday Afternoon sold for almost £6.3 million (€5.5m) at auction.
The Independent
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
LS Lowry painting originally bought for £10 sells for more than £800,000
A rare painting by LS Lowry originally bought for £10 has sold at auction for more than £800,000. The painting, Going To The Mill, was bought by literary editor of the Manchester Guardian, Arthur Wallace, for £10 in 1926 and has been in the same family ever since. On Friday the artwork sold at auction at the Mall Galleries in central London for £805,200, including buyer's premium. Lowry, who was lauded for his portrayal of everyday industrial scenes in northwest England, painted the piece in 1925. Going To The Mill is marked on the back as being £30, but Lowry let Mr Wallace have it for £10. It is believed to be one of the earliest sales made by the Stretford-born painter. He also gifted him an additional work, The Manufacturing Town, which the family sold several years ago. The artwork, which has been in the Wallace family for the last century, was recently on long-term loan to Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Simon Hucker, modern and contemporary art specialist and head of sale, Lyon And Turnbull auction house said: 'We're absolutely delighted by the price achieved for this exceptional, early painting by Lowry, bought from him when he was a virtual unknown. 'There are few artists who become a household name in Britain and Lowry definitely falls into this category.' Mr Hucker added: 'This is a painting shows that Lowry at his conceptual best, no naive painter of 'matchstick men', as the old pop song went. 'Instead he is an artist of true dexterity who is making deliberate formal choices, abstracting the figure in order to express an idea about loneliness and isolation within the teeming city. 'Going To The Mill is the epitome of a 1920s Lowry, the period when he becomes a unique voice in British art. 'It is especially rare is for a painting such as this to have been in one collection for one year shy of a century and we are delighted to have played a small part in its history.' In 2024 a Lowry painting titled Sunday Afternoon sold for almost £6.3 million at auction.
STV News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
LS Lowry painting originally bought for £10 sells for more than £800,000
A rare painting by LS Lowry originally bought for £10 has sold at auction for more than £800,000. The painting, Going To The Mill, was bought by literary editor of the Manchester Guardian, Arthur Wallace, for £10 in 1926 and has been in the same family ever since. On Friday the artwork sold at auction at the Mall Galleries in central London for £805,200, including buyer's premium. Lowry, who was lauded for his portrayal of everyday industrial scenes in northwest England, painted the piece in 1925. Going To The Mill is marked on the back as being £30, but Lowry let Mr Wallace have it for £10. It is believed to be one of the earliest sales made by the Stretford-born painter. He also gifted him an additional work, The Manufacturing Town, which the family sold several years ago. The artwork, which has been in the Wallace family for the last century, was recently on long-term loan to Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Simon Hucker, modern and contemporary art specialist and head of sale, Lyon And Turnbull auction house said: 'We're absolutely delighted by the price achieved for this exceptional, early painting by Lowry, bought from him when he was a virtual unknown. 'There are few artists who become a household name in Britain and Lowry definitely falls into this category.' Mr Hucker added: 'This is a painting shows that Lowry at his conceptual best, no naive painter of 'matchstick men', as the old pop song went. 'Instead he is an artist of true dexterity who is making deliberate formal choices, abstracting the figure in order to express an idea about loneliness and isolation within the teeming city. 'Going To The Mill is the epitome of a 1920s Lowry, the period when he becomes a unique voice in British art. 'It is especially rare is for a painting such as this to have been in one collection for one year shy of a century and we are delighted to have played a small part in its history.' In 2024 a Lowry painting titled Sunday Afternoon sold for almost £6.3m at auction. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Guardian
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
LS Lowry painting bought for £10 in 1926 sells at auction for £800,000
A rare painting by LS Lowry bought for £10 has sold at auction for more than £800,000. The painting, Going to the Mill, was bought by the literary editor of the Manchester Guardian, Arthur Wallace, for £10 in 1926 and has been in the same family ever since. On Friday the artwork sold at auction at the Mall Galleries in central London for £805,200, including buyer's premium. Lowry, who was lauded for his portrayal of everyday industrial scenes in northwest England, painted the piece in 1925. Going to the Mill is marked on the back as being £30, but Lowry let Wallace have it for £10. Adjusted for inflation, that is the equivalent of £521 in 2025, according to the Bank of England's calculator. The painting is believed to be one of the earliest sales made by the Stretford-born painter. Lowry also gave Wallace an additional work, The Manufacturing Town, which the family sold several years ago. Wallace had edited a supplement for the Guardian to accompany a civic week organised by Manchester city council in October 1926, and featured three paintings by the then struggling artist. As Wallace's grandson Keith explains, Lowry was featured in an accompanying exhibition at a Manchester department store, and Wallace – who had fallen for his sooty panoramas of factory-bound crowds – offered to buy one. 'Lowry said with great daring: 'Could we say £10?' and Grandpa wrote a cheque. Then Lowry wrote back to him saying: 'I think I've charged you too much. Can I give you another one as well?' So Grandpa got two Lowrys for his £10.' Going to the Mill, which has been in the Wallace family for the last century, was recently on long-term loan to Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. Simon Hucker, a modern and contemporary art specialist at the Lyon & Turnbull auction house said: 'We're absolutely delighted by the price achieved for this exceptional, early painting by Lowry, bought from him when he was a virtual unknown. There are few artists who become a household name in Britain and Lowry definitely falls into this category. 'This is a painting shows that Lowry at his conceptual best, no naive painter of 'matchstick men', as the old pop song went. Instead he is an artist of true dexterity who is making deliberate formal choices, abstracting the figure in order to express an idea about loneliness and isolation within the teeming city. 'Going to the Mill is the epitome of a 1920s Lowry, the period when he becomes a unique voice in British art. It is especially rare is for a painting such as this to have been in one collection for one year shy of a century and we are delighted to have played a small part in its history.' In 2024 a Lowry painting titled Sunday Afternoon sold for almost £6.3m at auction.
