Black and grey realism tattoo on a forearm showing a rifle with a helmet and boots beside a faded flag, with the script words All Gave Some and Some Gave All.

Battlefield cross with helmet and boots on a forearm

Realism · Forearm · Black and grey · Photo

A rifle is planted upright with a helmet on its stock and a pair of combat boots at its base, set against a shaded American flag with stars. The script lettering reads All Gave Some above and Some Gave All below, and the shading gives the boots and helmet a strong three-dimensional look. The piece is entirely black and grey and fills the forearm with the design centred on the arm.

Realism Lettering Forearm Helmet Boot Flag Star Script

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Ruth,

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The council finally let us put the frame up by the bus shelter, the one with the glass that never stays clean. Mr Hollis from the ironworks welded the rifle stand himself and would not take a penny for it. He said a thing like that ought to be done properly or not at all, then went off to the Legion hall before I could thank him. Danny's helmet sits on top. I hope you don't mind. Tom wanted to bring his own, but the sergeant posted it back with a note saying the Army had no further use for it.

On Sunday the boots went on last, laced the way Danny always laced them, double knots and the left tongue tucked under. A line of primary school children stood in the drizzle and read the plaque aloud, slowly, the way they practise spellings. Little Eddie Price asked whether the boots were for walking home in. Nobody answered him for a while, and then Father Dawes said they were for standing still in, which made no sense to anyone but made Eddie nod.

I wrote the card myself because the printer in town kept spelling Gave with an extra e. All Gave Some, the top line says, and Some Gave All underneath. I used to think those were just words for a wall. Standing there, I thought about the men who came home with one leg and the ones who came home with nothing to say to their own mothers.

You kept your back straight the whole service, Ruth. I saw your hands shake only once, when the boy got to Danny's name. Tomorrow I'll bring a cloth and do the glass, same as you would have. Write when you can.

Love, Margaret