Hand painted sign from Tobruk "H.Q. R.A.E." : Sapper T G Black, 2/3 Field Company, AIF

Enamelled steel sign with a white face and blue reverse, hand painted in black, brown and grey. A black band, edged with brown, and located approximately one third of the way down the horizontal sign, contains the white letters 'H.Q. R.A.E.' Above this is a detailed illustration, in black and brown, of an Australian 'rising sun' hat badge, while below the band, in black letters edged with grey, are the words: '9TH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION 10TH APRIL '41..... 20TH OCT '41'. To the left of these words, and facing towards them, is a painted colour profile of an Australian soldier wearing a steel helmet. The collar and shoulder of the soldier's uniform is sketched in black paint, with a bluish brown on grey circular colour patch (intended to be purple, the patch is that of the Royal Australian Engineers, 9 Division AIF, until 1942) painted on it. Below this is the signature of the illustrator 'Sapper BLACK VX32727 2/3 FLD. COY.' A narrow border has been added to the sign in grey paint. There is an oval shaped hole 80 mm from each corner.

These signs were made in Tobruk, probably using Italian road signs left in the town, by VX32727 Sapper Thomas George Black of 2/3 Field Company, AIF. Black was an illustrator and commercial artist from Ballarat.