A giant man of rusting steel sits gazing out across the sea in permanent thought. Flat cap, large overcoat with his walking stick in one hand just peacefully reflecting on life. Freddie Gilroy was a former miner from County Durham who, as a soldier shortly before his 24th birthday, was one of the first allied troops to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany in April 1945 where they found more than 60,000 prisoners, most of them seriously ill, and thousands of unburied corpses.
For more information on Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers click here.
That little piece of wasteland on Bath Road (Totterdown) that captures the eye as you pass it by and is occasionally occupied by the travelling community with their array of small caravans, open fires, and washing lines. The home of Scott Buchanan Barden’s mural, which depicts the Bristol Uprising (Riots) of 1831is witnessing its final days. The political overtures are being devoured by space invaders, star wars and a baseball cap wearing bulldog on a skateboard. There is no questioning the artistic capabilities of those currently at work on the site as I witness the fading of yesterday, but just my reflection of the connections between past, current and future struggles will be lost. It’s sad to see Barden’s mural slowly vanish while recognising and accepting the inevitability. In ten years time though I ask myself will people on the Number 1 bus, as they crawl past, still be looking at a space invader, star wars and a baseball cap wearing bulldog on a skateboard mural in the same way I have looked at Barden’s mural, I think not, but then again will it really matter and is it important?
Irregular Frequencies 