Inside Fort Khiam

Depicts a scene in Khiam, Syria, of a large gun and a building behind it. It is a very rough sketch, with the finer work concentrating on the gun. It is probably an old Krupp gun that was produced during the First World War and thought by the artist to have been used during the Syrian Campaign. The artist observes in notes on the back that the fort behind it has been 'cleaned out' by vandals from the nearby village. However, they left a large amount of ammunition next to the gun. Khiam (or Al Khiam), previously part of Syria, is now within the borders of Lebanon. It has been the site of so many occupying armies from different nations that its name means tents in Arabic. The Syrian Campaign involved Australian troops, mostly from the 7th Division, fighting alongside allied troops against the Vichy French in Syria and Lebanon.