A deserted oasis

Depicts soldiers and camels from the Australian Camel Corps camped at an oasis that has been deserted by its original inhabitants. In the background are buildings that have fallen into disrepair. This work is from McBey's first Palestine set of etchings and drypoints. McBey was a painter and etcher. Born in Newburg, Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1884, he travelled to Holland, Spain and Morocco in 1913. He was one of Britain's most successful etchers before the war. Although rejected several times for military service he eventually managed to enlist in January 1916 and worked in the British army's printing section at Boulogne. He was appointed an official war artist in April 1917 and joined the British Expeditionary Force in Egypt, where he also travelled with and recorded patrols with the Australian Camel Corps. Before his appointment he was able to gain permission to spend his leave sketching at the frontline in France.