| Accession Number | ART30067 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | sheet: 42 x 50.8 cm |
| Object type | Work on paper |
| Physical description | watercolour over pencil, heightened with white on paper on hardboard |
| Maker |
Herbert, Harold |
| Place made | Syria |
| Date made | 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Destroyed bridge at Damour
Description
Depicts bridge crossing Damour, Syria, (now Lebanon). Herbert's classically trained handling of the medium renders the scene clearly, but in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The artist writes 'Syrian campaign series painted August 1941...Destroyed Bridge at Damour. Fine bridge of masonry blown by the retreating Vichy French Forces. Our troops made a detour and crossed some hundreds of yards away. Engineers [the 2/6th Field Company Royal Australian Engineers] got busy repairing the broken span.' They did this while still under fire from the enemy. The Syrian Campaign involved Australian troops, mostly from the 7th Division, fighting alongside allied troops against the Vichy French in Syria and Lebanon.