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Fred Farrell was the only war artist commissioned by a city, rather than a government, war museum or the armed forces.

Farrell was a self-taught artist, working in watercolours and etchings. Initially enlisted as a military engineer, he was discharged in late 1916 due to ill health. Determined to make it back to the Front, he offered his services to the city of Glasgow as a war artist.

He made two trips to the Western Front in this role: in November 1917 he spent three months at Flanders with several battalions of the Highland Light Infantry – and in late 1918 spent two months with the 51st Highland Division in France. Farrell’s work as a war artist was not solely confined to the front line: he also depicted life in Glasgow’s munitions factories and engineering works.

An exhibition of Farrell’s work runs at the People’s Palace in Glasgow until the end of November 2014.

Image courtesy of Glasgow Museums