Battalion Gallery

Matania - Last Absolution of the Munsters

'The Last General Absolution of the Munsters at Rue du Bois' - painting by Fortunino Matania. This painting relates to an incident in France in May of 1915, when the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers suffered very heavily at Rue du Bois, in the Pas de Calais close to Arras. The action was only one of many local attacks which ended disastrously through lack of support. Colonel Victor Rickard, recently appointed to command, was killed in the attack, as was his Adjutant, Captain Filgate. Both are represented in the picture, alongside Father Gleeson, who is shown giving the Absolution on the evening prior to the action taking place.
1915

© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

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

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