Messines, morning of the offensive

Depicts a war damaged landscape at dawn, part of the front line at Messines, with the remains of trees, trenches and barbed wire visible and shells exploding on the horizon. The 11th Machine Gun Company Headquarters AIF were nearby; 31st July 1917, the beginning of Third Battle of Ypres. In June 1917 the Australian Third Division under General Monash distinguished itself in its first battle near Messines. 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.