Watercolour of the grave of Lieutenant William Turner at Varna, Bulgaria

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Watercolour of a soldier of the 93rd Regiment of Foot at the grave of Lieutenant William Turner at Varna, Bulgaria, by J. Ballantyne. Turner died of fever and dysentery in Bulgaria on 12 August 1854, on his way to the Crimean War.

A soldier is shown with his head bowed, paying his respects at the grave of Captain Turner. The fallen masonry, a broken column, is symbolic of a young life cut short.

Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia declared war on Russia in March 1854. Many men died of cholera and other diseases as well as a result of the fighting, and it was during the Crimean War that Florence Nightingale began her work.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-000-100-252-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: The Thistle at War
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  M.1935.242
• Date: 1854
  
• Material: Paper
  Watercolour
  
• Dimensions: 375 mm H x 265 mm W
  
• What: Watercolour
  
• Subject: Fine Art - Paintings
  
• Who: 93rd Regiment of Foot (British land forces)
  J. Ballantyne (delineator)
  Lieutenant William Turner
  
• Where: Bulgaria, Varna (depicted)
  
• Event:
• Description: 93rd Regiment of Foot - Watercolour by J. Ballantyne of the grave of Lieutenant William Turner at Varna, Bulgaria.
  
• References:
  • McCorry, Helen (ed.) The thistle at war: an anthology of the Scottish experience of war, in the services and at home. Edinburgh, NMS, 1997 
  • Wood, Stephen The Scottish soldier. Manchester: Archive Publications in association with the National Museums of Scotland, 1987 
• Translations:
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