The Battle of the Alma by Philip Malpass

A fixed sign for an inn and having little knowledge of what "Alma" actually refers to, I took myself off to a library to learn.

Many inns and pubs in England bear this name and it refers to a great British victory of the Crimean War. ( And this in turn reflects upon the age of the pub.)

The battle of the Alma ( actually the name of a river ) was a preliminary engagement during the Crimea War, leading to the seige of Sebastapol, in 1854.

This particular image portrays Sergeant O'Conner, of the Welsh Fusiliers carrying the colours into the final redoubt.

The large sign is hand-brushed enamel paint on to sheet aluminium and measures 10ft. across. ( the actual image is 8ft. wide ). A further double-sided fixed sign was also created.