HMS Prince of Wales by Brian Wood HMS Prince of Wales is
HMS Ark Royal by Brian Wood. HMS Ark Royal is shown in hot pursuit of the Bismarck.
HMS Rodney by Brian Wood
Destruction of Bismarck complete, and desperately low
on fuel, Rodney turns for home 27th May 1941.
Death of the Bismarck. by Brian Wood
The battered Bismarck fires its final salvos, during the last stage of the
battle, 27th May 1941.
shown firing on the Bismarck and in the
background a huge black cloud is all that is left of HMS Hood.
H.M.A.S. Nizam 1943 by Brian Wood N Class destroyer built at Clydebank in July of 1940.
H.M.A.S.Vampire 1939 by Brian Wood Bombed by Japanese Aircraft east of Ceylon 23.9.42.
H.M.A.S. Manoora 1940 by Brian Wood Armed Merchant Cruiser, sinking an Italian freighter.
H.M.A.S. Hobart 1944 by Brian Wood Leander class cruiser, built at Davenport, October 1934. Sister ships
HMS Leander, HMS Neptune, HMS Orion.
Culloden the Aftermath by Brian Wood This superb Master piece, shows through the eyes and views of Brian Wood,
the events leading up to and after the battle of Culloden the last battle fought
in British soil. This is my personal interpretation of the events immediately following the
Battle of Culloden. There is no intention to depict either the shores of
Loch-Nam-Uamh, the highlands, glens or castles with geographic accuracy. Instead
I have tried to portray the scenes following the first 3 days of battle, the
escape of Bonnie prince Charlie, the destruction and brutality wreaked upon the
Highlands and the real sufferers, women and the innocent.
1. the battlefield scene represent the time from plundering and butchering
the wounded to when the ordinary people were allowed on to collect their dead.
In the main central figure I have tried to impart a feeling of stoic dignity in
the face of an uncertain future. 2. The top section represents the form of Prince Charles. despite the flames
and carnage of Culloden, he is firmly supported in the hand of his Jacobite
faithful to his safe exile aboard a French warship. being mindful than Clan
tartans were not in common usage as uniforms of war at the time, only one tartan
has been represented as such, that of Royal Stuart, and that only signify
Charles claim to the thrones of England and Scotland. With his leaving,
the set fades as does he and his ambition. The burning, smoldering tartans
signify the proscription of tartans. kilts, plaids etc by Westminster to
discourage further rebellion. 3. With the Clans and their regiments broken, neither the natural barrier of
the Highlands nor the great chiefs castles would prevent the poison of Culloden
seeing into every glen or the fury of Cumberland's Dragoons plundering at
will. This is represented in the lower section, Armed with the sword
and the noose, these Cumberland's most pitiless embarked on an orgy of murder
rape and pillage. The abyss of prison or exile awaited those suspected of
Jacobite sympathies, the gallows for more serious resistance. battles are fought and won, or lost as all battles are, but Culloden's
aftermath changed Scottish Highland society forever, ushering in a long period
of suffering. This painting is my humble attempt to interpret that tragic
period. words and thoughts of Brian Wood the Artist.
"The End of the Jacobite Dream" by Brian Wood
Charles Edward Stuart on Board a French Warship bound for France, takes his
last look at Scotland disappearing from view and reflects over the events of the
previous year and what might have been.
