Artwork tribute to father pitched into horror on horseback

It would not be long before the dash and glamour of the old cavalry regiments was swept away forever under a merciless hail of machinegun fire and shrapnel, and there was the advent of a new warfare of barbed wire and trenches with thousands of lives lost to gain a few hundred yards of barren muddy wasteland.

And now, to coincide with the time of remembrance, Fred Dennett's 81-year-old son, John, has donated an artwork to Shropshire Regimental Museum which honours and recognises his father's service and evokes the terrible conditions in which men fought.

The museum at Shrewsbury Castle already displays Fred's medals from a long and distinguished service which spanned two world wars and almost 50 years - he served 37 years in the regular army and 12 in the Territorials.

He became a Bandmaster with the King's Shropshire Light Infantry and composed several pieces of military music for regimental occasions.

John, of Darwin's Walk, Shrewsbury, said: "I wanted to - the word is not honour, and remembrance is the wrong word as well - but I thought it was appropriate at this time of remembrance to do a painting of some sort which would recognise his service, and make a donation of it to the museum, which already holds some of my father's memorabilia.

"Since I retired I have become an artist, and the two opportunities collided."

His artwork is a multi-media collage which he has called To End All Wars. It does not feature his father, but "the absolute horror of a landscape blasted by war and high explosive and the conditions these people had to undergo daily."

Mr Dennett added: "Like lots of soldiers of the First World War, my father very rarely spoke in depth about what happened to him. I got dribs and drabs from friends.

"It became more and more apparent about how horrific it was. It was horrific for foot soldiers, but he was doubly exposed because he was on a horse. The fact of having a horse among that industrial war machine was quite poignant and horrifying for me."

Born in London, Fred Dennett was only 15 when he joined the army, serving in the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards as a boy trumpeter. This was a cavalry unit which in August 1914 was involved in the first cavalry sabre charge of the conflict, although he himself did not join the regiment in France until late November. In the Dragoons he had the nickname Spider.

His best pal was Roger Southam, and fate would see both men end up in Shrewsbury - Roger was to become manager of Southam's Brewery in Shrewsbury.

Fred was wounded in the left arm during the conflict and injured in rather different circumstances while serving post-war in strife-torn Ireland. He had had a payout at the bookies after putting a bet on Loch Lomond in the Irish Derby, but on his way home was set upon by Irish rebels and robbed of his winnings, suffering serious head injuries.

After attending the Royal Military School of Music he was in 1931 posted to the 2nd Battalion of the KSLI as Bandmaster and on the outbreak of World War Two went with the battalion to the Dutch West Indies, returning when the battalion was called back to Europe.

His wife and family, including John, returned separately from Bermuda but on the way back their ship was torpedoed and sunk, which John remembers well despite only being five or six at the time. They were rescued and taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The battalion landed on D-Day and, although John does not have a full picture of his father's service, he would have been with it in Normandy.

"As I understand it traditionally the bandsmen became stretcher bearers, or guards to the regimental headquarters."

His father, who was awarded a host of medals including the MBE, Meritorious Service Medal, and two Long Service Medals, retired in 1948 and took over the 4th Battalion (Territorial) Band, being its bandmaster until his second retirement in 1961, and writing the regimental march which was played on the amalgamation parade.

After his retirement from the regular army he was for a time the landlord at the Three Fishes pub in Shrewsbury, and later the Swan at Hookagate. He died in 1991, aged 93.

Christine Bernath, curator of the Shropshire Regimental Museum, said: "I'm very grateful for Mr Dennett's continued support for the museum and it's lovely to have such a personal addition to his father's medals, which we already have. It's nice to be able to tell such a rich family story relating to the regiment, and this will be a real asset to the museum."

The collage has been added to the museum's collection and although there is not currently space to display it with the medals, she added that the winter closure starting in December would give an opportunity to rejig certain things.