The Thin Red Line

Francis says: "The title ‘The Thin Red Line’ alludes to a line from Rudyard Kipling's poem "Tommy", from Barrack-Room Ballads, in which he calls British foot soldiers "the thin red line of heroes", referring to the stand of the 93rd Regiment in the Battle of Balaclava of the Crimean War.

It was wonderful connecting with Faye through Portraits for NHS heroes and feel like I could help show our huge appreciation to the NHS staff on the frontline."

Faye says: "My name is Faye and I’m a physiotherapist working in North Tees Hospital. I am based on one of our Covid-19 wards delivering both respiratory and mobility assessments and treatments to assist with the recovery of the patients. This painting is of me and my 2 friends who are also my colleagues, Amy and Sean. We were all redeployed to the Covid-19 wards from our usual roles as outpatient physiotherapists."