'Arry "The Ships Banjo King"

Caricature portrait of Pte Henry Saunders (6393), 18 Infantry Battalion, pictured here playing the banjo (his service number inscribed on the calf skin head). A speech bubble comes out of a smiling mouth with the words: "This is the life?". At his feet is a kangaroo with a rifle over its shoulder and a stylised chicken who seems to whistle a tune despite a speech bubble with "Bow wow". Attached verso to support is a page from 'The Sydney Mail', August 26, [1916], with photos from the Queensland Royal Show. Louis Vasco enlisted in Brisbane in 1916, so it is likely he took the page with him when he embarked for overseas service.

Vasco was a British artist, who moved to Sydney, NSW, and drew postcards and caricatures for passengers on the harbour ferries at a shilling a sketch. In 1907 Vasco sailed overseas to America, and also travelled to Europe and Papua New Guinea. He returned to Australia before the outbreak of the First World War, and soon changed his name from Vasco Urbano Loureiro to Louis Vasco so there would not be confusion with his artist father Artur Loureiro. Vasco married Gwendolyn Dunlop just before he enlisted in Brisbane on 11 May 1916 and recorded his previous trade as caricature artist and draftsman. He enlisted with 11 Field Company Engineers and arrived in France on the 16 May 1917. On the 25 May 1918 he was admitted to a field hospital with a spinal cord injury, and was transferred to England for treatment. The injury became infected and the bacteria travelled to his brain. He died of meningitis on the 3 August 1918 at Napsbury Hospital, Saint Albans, Herfordshire and is buried at the 'Soldiers Corner' Hatfield Road Cemetery in Saint Albans.