The Line at Caterpillar, Ville-Sur-Ancre

Depicts a group of men standing or seated in a war damaged landscape, near boxes of supplies at Ville -sur- Ancre. Dyson noted of this work that it depicted '...the Caterpillar, near Ville-sur-Ancre, the day after the passing through that village, while this drawing was being made Captain Wilkins had crept out of the Caterpillar and through crops at the top of the drawing down, through the moving of the crops, a sustained burst of machine gun fore which lasted long enough for me to do this drawing. Captain Wilkins lay low and finally got into the post which was his objective'. Will Dyson was the first Australian official war artist to visit the front during the First World War, travelling to France in December 1916, remaining there until May 1917, making records of the Australian involvement in the war. He was formally appointed as an official war artist, attached to the AIF, in May 1917, working in France and London throughout the war. His commission was terminated in March 1920.