Going home

An Australian digger is hopping down the entrance set of hospital stairs on one leg. His other leg has been amputated at the knee. He holds his crutches in his arms and has a cigarette hanging from his lips. Behind him a nurse looks on anxiously, while a friend stands with his arms crossed grinning. Date derived from the inscription on ART93277 which locates the date of the series to 1918. These are most likely to have been made on board the troopship Euripedes HMTA.14 which sailed from England to Australia, Feb-March 1918. Penleigh Boyd produced most of the illustrations for this troopship publication and it is likely that the trio of watercolours was created for inclusion in this publication, perhaps for to illustrate the text on pg. 34. Lieut. P.F. Meredith writes, "As the cliffs of the homeland loom up on the horizon, again comes to me those sad misgivings; again comes before my mind's eye the memory of my dream on the outrushing troop train, What will their welcome be?"