Such Different Armfuls.

Standing in the courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts is this sculpture of a soldier carrying his dead comrade/friend/lover. It is as you can see a powerful and moving piece of work. Depicting a Hell I hope none of us will ever know.

As I studied the sculpture, a van drove up, and young men with black uniforms and white aprons lined up, like well drilled soldiers, and awaited the doors opening.

Out came huge bags of ice. The waiters were handed these freezing armfuls, where upon they rushed off with them as quickly as possible, before their hands, arms and chests were chilled.

I can not imagine why the ice was not put on a trolly, but still.

I was happily photographing this unusual sight, when I saw the similarity between the burdened young men, and the soldier behind them. But such a different armful.

Also the similarity between them, and the soldier and his comrade, who would have had to heave bags of sand around in the trenches all that time ago.
All very eerily coincidental.