2nd Tunnellers Cookhouse at Nieuport

Depicts the figure of a cook, with his sleeves rolled up, standing in the doorway of the 'Cook House', in the cellars of Nieuport. Behind him, in the cellar, can be seen a table with pots and tins on it. Members of the 2nd Tunnellers can be seen in the background of the scene. Dyson was fascinated with the eccentric nature of the AIF cooks. He noted the he 'suspected that Australian units select their cooks not on their ability as chefs but for the stories that can be told about them to other units'. Will Dyson was the first Australian official war artist to visit the front during the First World War, travelling to France in December 1916, remaining there until May 1917, making records of the Australian involvement in the war. He was formally appointed as an official war artist, attached to the AIF, in May 1917, working in France and London throughout the war. His commission was terminated in March 1920.