Battalion Gallery

German Railway gun captured at the Battle of Amiens - WW1

A huge German Railway gun captured at the Battle of Amiens on 8th August 1918 became a source of some Allied controversy. The Australian 31st Battalion effected its capture, but, in the wake of the continued Allied advance, the gun received a large painted inscription stating that the gun had been captured by the British 4th Army (see picture) of which the ANZAC Corps was a component. A thorough investigation was made of the circumstances of the gun's capture - an insightful example of the contested nature of war material involving notions of identity and ownership - before it was finally transported to Australia for public display (AWM Archive). The gun was originally intended for naval use, mounted in the battleship SMS Hessen. Date: 1918

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

A set of 8 lithographs - WWI era

'A set of 8 lithographs in a folio. 1) Inscribed 'Private B. Miller, Queen's Westminsters, out since 1914', 2) Inscribed 'Of the Labour Battalion, 3) A soldier reading a newspaper, 4) A Scottish soldier writing a letter, 5) Two soldiers, 6) A group of 3 soldiers, 7) A thoughtful looking Tommy, 8) A group of 3 soldiers. . Sylvia Packard (1881-1962). Born In Ipswich, Trained At The Slade In London And Exhibited Her Paintings, Mostly Landscapes, Between 1909 And 1928. In 1916, Sylvia Took Over The Art Department At The Royal School For Officers' Daughters In Bath. On Her Retirement From The School, Sylvia Founded (With Rosalind Ord) A Firm Of Tile Manufacturers, Packard & Ord Which Later Became Marlborough Tiles.'

© David Cohen Fine Art/Mary Evans Picture Library

Auckland's advance from its battalion headquarters

This drawing relates to an incident on the 14th/15th September 1916 and is described in a book entitled 'A Saga of the Sword' by Austin F. Britten, published by Arrowsmith, London 1928. The chapter, entitled 'The End of an Epoch', contains the following map reference : S11 b4.9. This is right in the middle of the area of the 2nd Battalion Auckland Regiment which was in No-Man's Land, just a shade short by 50 yards or so of the German Front Line in Coffee Lane. And, no doubt, Matania is attempting to portray an incident in the initial phase of the Auckland's advance from its battalion headquarters, slightly on the right of the fork (La Forche) which is where the New Zealand memorial now stands. It would also appear that four tanks were allocated to the New Zealand Division and all four passed this way towards the fork before spreading out. They were from D Company and were numbered D8, D10, D11 and D12. The actual image was never used in the book (which in the end did not have any illustrations) but no doubt Matania was asked by Austin Britten to produce this incident at the above map reference. The name of the book was written on the back of the picture. Fortunino Matania, Ri (1881-1963). One of the most accomplished realistic illustrators and artists of his time, his wartime work was immensely popular and appeared in nearly every major news magazine, Allied, Neutral and Central Powers alike. Date: 1916

© David Cohen Fine Art/Mary Evans Picture Library