Lance Corporal George Ramage was an ordinary soldier in the British Army during the First World War. He had been a school teacher before the war. In January 1915 he enlisted as a Lance Corporal in the Gordon Highlanders, and in April was sent to France.
Ramage served as a trench grenadier experiencing the full horror of trench warfare where he was one of the first soldiers to experience a gas attack. In June 1915 he was shot by a sniper in the left hand. After a series of operations he had to have his left hand and the lower part of his arm amputated.
In July 1915 he was sent to Roehampton Hospital in London where he would have been one of the first patients served, as the hospital had only started to accept patients on 20 June. It had been established specifically to cater for the ever-increasing number of amputees returning from the Front.
Ramage remained in hospital until he was discharged in August 1916, at which point he returned to Scotland. During these events George Ramage kept a diary which gives an insight into the challenges of soldiers during the First World War.
Following his return to Scotland he began teaching again at Sciennes Primary School in Edinburgh. His physical impairment also didn’t hamper his interest in music where he played the piano in an improvised fashion. His remarkable diary of trench warfare is now in the National Library of Scotland.
Artist’s Response
I felt instantly drawn to the story of George Ramage. Not only is it a story full of powerful imagery and tragic events but I myself attended the school he had taught at. Reading over his diary and his experiences within the war it made me wonder what kind of teacher he would have been?
There are stories about strict teachers from yesteryear back, quite probably told to keep children in check, and I wondered if he could be one of them? Going back through archives and interviews with former pupils I discovered that Mr. Ramage was in fact the opposite of that.
I discovered the story of a kind and passionate teacher whom despite experiencing hell came back from war as a caring nurturing soul and that is the side of his story I aim to share. Not only would he be remembered for his experiences and his sacrifices but also for the humanity that he shared with everyone he came into contact with thereafter.
Katie Campbell
Gray’s School of Art
Robert Gordon’s University
Katie’s art sits at the intersection between narrative and abstract. Katie likes to explore the idea of connection, the concept of interaction in order to experience the art work is something she loves to work with. Getting the viewer to relate and feel something whether it be memories or an emotion is intensified when they themselves have to work with the piece in order to understand it fully.
There’s often a sense of achievement which cements the bond between viewer and the art. From a young age the type of artwork that had captured Katie’s attention had been expressive and artists such as Grayson Perry and Yayoi Kusama in particular inspire her. Their works always evoke a feeling but never explicitly leading you to an exact reaction and she feels this has helped shape the way in which she approaches her practice.
