A roundhead helmet made by a student 20 years ago at Forth Valley College has landed back in his possession after a former classmate recognised it recently.
FVC Creative Industries Technician Trevor Griffin, who is based at the college’s Stirling Campus, spotted the distinctive helmet – made by David Crossley on a National Certificate course at the Falkirk Campus in 1996 – and immediately tried to track him down via social media.
Ironically however, David – a professional tattooist and custom freehand airbrusher - had only recently started studying with the Campus Crafts Social Enterprise class run by May Mallet at Stirling as well as volunteering in a job coaching role with Employability students.
Trevor, said:
“Technicians from welding handed in a few metal objects to Jane Patterson and Angie Mclaren who are art and design lecturers based at Falkirk, to possibly use for drawing.
“One of the objects was a metal handmade helmet which had been in the welding workshop for a number of years. I spotted the helmet in room 5T when working in the Falkirk campus, I recognised it as the same helmet that a fellow classmate of mine had created back in 1996 as part of an NC unit.
“Through the wonders of social media I contacted David asking what he did with the helmet he had made 20 years ago, he told me that he had left it with the college for assessment and never returned to collect it as when he went off to the USA to work.
“He was utterly amazed that we still had the object.”
David Crossley, who used to run his own tattoo shop, said:
“I was really quite shocked about this helmet turning up. Back in 1996, I remember thinking I would need to pick this up, but before I knew it I had forgotten about it and headed off to the United States to work.
“Trevor sent me a wee photo of it recently and it was something I didn’t expect, but it is quite cool that students will be able to get some use from it in art and design. I suppose it is a wee bit of history and to think that I am back at the college now 20 years on is a remarkable coincidence.”