~ Bruce Bairnsfather, Belgium 1915 Dish, Souvenirs from the Great War by Grimwades ~
The dish is from the Bairnsfather Ware series by Grimwades. The series is based on cartoons produced during World War I by Bruce Bairnsfather.
The dish has a gilded edge with a brown circle.
The design shows five soldiers in sand-bagged shelter. One I assume – the one with the mustache – is the character Old Bill. A shell has just exploded in the background and debris is flying all around. Someone is saying “Where did that one go to?”.
Towards the bottom right of the image it reads B.B. Belgium 1915.
The rim is nicely detailed with soldiers equipment and paraphernalia.
The reverse has the Grimwades stamp.
~ Grimwade/Bairnsfather Ware ~
Towards the end of 1917 the owners of The Bystander granted Leonard Grimwade permission to reproduce a limited number of Fragments From France cartoons on items from the Grimwades range of pottery then in production.
Bairnsfather Ware was an immediate success, and for the remainder of the duration of the war, the Grimwades factory churned out thousands of pieces featuring the Fragments from France drawings.
Although no records survive from Grimwades, it has been possible to establish, through identification of shapes of pieces and later backstamps, that Grimwades continued to produce various items featuring Fragments from France cartoons for several decades after the end of the First World War.
~ Dimensions ~
The dish has a height of 2.25 inches (5.5 cm) and a diameter of 9.75 inches (25 cm). It weighs 524 g.
~ Condition ~
There is some minor age wear mainly to the edges, but no sign of cracking or restoration. There is a small chip to the edge on the reverse. The gilding is worn.