Fort George Mural "World War II" - George Town, Cayman Islands
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World War II is the central part of a mural, from a series of three original paintings by John Broad, located on the historic site of Fort George in George Town, Grand Cayman. It depicts the U-boat attack on a local ship in which a Caymanian died.
Waymark Code: WMV56Y
Location: Cayman Islands
Date Posted: 02/25/2017
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The original purpose of Fort George was to defend Grand Cayman from attacks by Spanish marauders from Cuba. Locals and cruise ship visitors can visit for free the remains of Fort George and get information from the various markers on the site.
When artist John Broad conceived the design for a new mural at historic Fort George in downtown George Town, he wanted viewers to be able to imagine what they would see if they were standing behind the walls of the fort, gazing out to sea during three important episodes in history.
“On the left, we have the Havana militia storming ashore in the 18th century,” Broad says of the first of the three pieces of the mural. “The middle section from World War II contains the U-boat attack on a local ship in which a Caymanian died, and lastly, a … regatta by the beautiful Cayman schooners during the 30s.”
While he was painting the murals, Broad says, it took him back to his childhood, as he was always drawing wars and battles as a youngster.
In addition, the mural itself has an unusual composition. “The technique is a first for Cayman in that the original paintings were photographed and prints developed twice the size of the artwork and attached to the wall on site,”.
Broad believes the murals are a vital source of information to help visitors appreciate the turbulent history of the Cayman Islands.
This sign reads:
"World War II - German submarine activity during World War II peaked in 1942 with several attacks on shipping occuring in the Caribbean Sea alone. One such attack was the sinking of the merchant steam vessel Comayagua on the evening of 14th May 1942 by the German submarine U-125 commanded by Captain Ulrich Folkers.
The Comayagua was 14 miles southwest of George Town en-route from Guatemala to Cuba when the first torpedo struck her amidships, killing six crew members on watch. A second torpedo blew off the ship's stern, immediately sinking her. The rest of her crew of 42 men abandoned ship in boats and rafts. Surfacing his submarine, Folkers advised the ship's master Peter Larsen that land was only 10 miles away.
A patrolling American Navy plane spotted the survivors and flying over George Town, dropped a note in the yard of Commissioner John Jones who dispatched Captain Eugene Thompson, master of the Caymanian ship MV Cimboco, to rescue them.
Whilst the small police force on Grand Cayman carried out coastal watch duty prior to the sinking of the Comayagua, it was decided that a 'Home Guard' would be more effective. In 1942, police Inspector Roddy Watler was appointed Officer in charge of the Cayman Islands Company of the Jamaican Home Guard, a post he held until the end of the war in 1945.
This mural is from a series of three original paintings by Caymanian artist John Broad commissioned by the National Trust to celebrate the history of Fort George. "Spanish Attack" original 60" X 48", acrylic on canvas, 2012"
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