Evacuation

Wallace Anderson’s Evacuation was the first sculpture acquired for the Memorial’s art collection. The work represents a muscular, slouch-hatted Australian soldier at Gallipoli, leaning against a broken gun carriage, with his foot placed on a flag. He is depicted at the moment of hearing the order that Gallipoli was to be evacuated, and stares stoically into the distance in response. Anderson explained the symbolism of the work in a 1925 letter to the Memorial’s then director, John Treloar: “The figure is meant to convey the spirit of the Australian soldier when he learns of the order for the evacuation of the Peninsular”.

Anderson depicted the undressed state in which the Australian soldier fought. The broken Australian gun represents the fighting that had taken place and casualties suffered. The soldier’s foot is on a flag, depicting the territory captured and the skull, enemy dead accounted for. Originally conceived as part of a sculptural cycle depicting the various stages of the Gallipoli campaign, the work was intended to help galvanise a nation still in deep mourning by commemorating the spirit and achievement of those who had served. The work thus provides historical perspective on Australian society in the immediate aftermath of the First World War, and on the role commemorative artwork played in assisting the nation to grieve.