A Stone man who lost his life at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 is featured on a commemorative tankard produced by the National Trust to mark the centenary of the First World War – and it’s all thanks to his great-grandson.
Illustrator Mat Edwards produced the artwork for the National Trust’s commemorative range and, as part of his design, he included the soldier’s handbook of his great-grandfather Frank Sims on the tankard. It is now on sale at National Trust sites across the UK, as well as on the NT website.
Pte Frank Sims 5680 lost his life in the Battle of the Somme, along with his brother Joe. In all, 20 men from Stone died in the Somme, and it is thought that 144 men in total from the town died over the course of the Great War.
For Mat, producing the artwork and paying tribute to his great-grandfather was an emotional experience.
Mat said: “On their main tankard I have put Frank’s “soldiers handbook” and you can clearly read his name and see the address – Abbey Street in Stone – where he lived. I’ve been a freelance artist for 20 years now and this is one of the proudest things I’ve managed to do. Even though he was amongst the many thousands to be killed at the Somme, in some way I feel as though I have managed to resurrect him slightly through my design. I live in Alsager’s Bank, so not too far away from Stone, and often bring my mother to the Remembrance services in Stone. Both Frank and Joe’s names are engraved on the war memorial in Granville Square.”
Click HERE to buy the commemorative tankard from the National Trust online shop.
We’ve put Mat in touch with Steve Booth from Stone Historical Society, who is researching the lives of the men from Stone who lost their lives in the First World War. Click HERE to see how you can help the society in their research.
