| Place | Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Ypres, Zonnebeke, Polygon Wood |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART02927 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | unframed: 122.5 cm x 245 cm; framed: 152.3 cm x 274 cm x 12.8 cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | oil on canvas |
| Maker |
Leist, Fred |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England |
| Date made | 1919 |
| Conflict |
Period 1910-1919 First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Australian infantry attack in Polygon Wood
Description
In the third battle of Ypres the Australians encountered reinforced concrete blockhouses, known as 'pillboxes', that were largely resistant to shell-fire; some had machine-guns firing from loopholes. Leist depicts one under attack at the fateful moment when Lieutenant John Turnour, of the 59th Battalion, drew fatal enemy fire while his men attacked from the flanks, on 26 September 1917.