"Gail van Lingen has completed numerous paintings of famous South African battlefields. Many of these were commissioned by Times Media and the originals (1,8 m x 1,2 m) now hang in their headquarters in Johannesburg. In 1991 the company also produced a book of these paintings. The first battlefield Gail painted was Isandlwana which, in her words, is "beautiful, very moving, has so much presence and is very spooky". She has a personal interest in this particular battlefield. "My great-grandfather was a British subject, a Natal farmer, very anti the Zulu War because he felt the British shouldn’t be invading Natal. The British seconded him. He and his brother were out looking for Zulus when the camp was attacked." Gail has had several battlefield commissions. To ensure that these were historically and geographically accurate she had to travel around the country and work out how they should be painted. Sometimes, she recalls, it was "quite scary" to visit these remote areas. She also read widely about the different battles. Her battle scene paintings now hang in boardrooms in several countries. Gail took numerous photographs to use as the basis for her final compositions. For the time being Gail has turned to painting shipwrecks of the Cape coast. She has already completed pictures of the Birkenhead and "a really fun one" of Wolraad Woltemaade’s heroic exploit. She will be going out to sea to take photographs for her marine paintings and will search for material in military museums
and in the literature about shipwrecks. In some cases the wrecks are still there. She sees this as something which will probably be a lifelong project given the number of ships wrecked on the treacherous South African coast."

Could he have been with Chelmsford column?

hi Dave .
It does seem he was out with Chelmsford .
cheers 90th.

http://www.gailvanlingen.com/ I like the work.

Born in Johannesburg, Gail van Lingen is a passionate artist with deep roots in South Africa. On her father's side, the family is linked to Piet Retief who the Zulu Chief, Dingaan, had put to death in 1838. On her mother's side, the Symons line in South Africa goes back to 1769. And her great grandfather and his brother, as part of the Natal Carbineers, were with Lord Chelmsford when the camp at Isandhlwana was attacked.

Littlehand. Not sure if i do like it. Not to keen on the blurry detail.

Not sure if im too keen on it either, its just too bright.

Joe

That's what i have spent the last couple of hours looking for. I have put in "van lingen" But the one I’m coming up with was a reverend.

hi graves .
On her mothers side is the Symons family , surely she is a relative to trpr Fred Symons who was out with Chelmsford .
Trpr F. Symons has plenty to say in the ' Big Silver Book by I.Knight , a very good book which has many statements
from the colonial forces .
cheers 90th.