Object Description
William McMillan RA (1887-1977)
A Tired Soldier 1917
Bronze, signed
Provenance: The Fine Art Society 1982, Label to base (erroneously titled A Soldier Resting)
Exhibited Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 1918 – A Tired Soldier No.1475
Another cast in Imperial War Museum, London
On original ebonised wood base with James Bourlet label predating 1925. Bourlet delivered works to and from the Royal Academy exhibitions.
An important first World War bronze, the artist shows a soldier in full kit worn out by trench warfare taking a rest, his helmet in his hands. McMillan knew first hand from experience, gained only months earlier as an officer in the trenches, invalided out due to traumatic stress.
Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1918 and dating from the previous year, this piece is an important contemporary sculptural comment on the current war as it was going on at this time. It has always been assumed that C S Jagger influenced this work and for some reason it was thought to date from the early 1920’s. Jagger was still in Europe fighting whilst McMillan was recuperating from his experiences, honourably discharged in May 1916 he was still coming to terms with his trauma and was able to possibly exorcise this through his art.
In 1917 he exhibited two war related works at the Royal Academy, Fighting Kit and A Bomber. In 1918 two further works of the same theme were exhibited at the RA, A Tired Soldier and A Canadian Infantryman, examples of both are now in the collection of the Imperial War Museum, London.
McMillan went on to design the Great War Medal and Victory Medal given to 20 million personnel who fought in the war. He went on to have a very successful career along side his friend C S Jagger, he designed many war memorials.
He was elected ARA in 1925 at the very young age of 38 and in 1933 he became a full Royal Academician. Between 1929 and 1940 McMillan was Master of the sculpture school in the Royal Academy Schools. Operating from the studio he maintained for most of his working life in Glebe Place, Chelsea he produced a string of public works between 1940 and his retirement in 1966, including the fountain sculptures in Trafalgar square and the statue of George VI in The Mall.