British planes flying towards the Lines over the Somme 1918

Depicts a painting of either Australian Flying Corps (AFC) or the British Royal Flying Corps, biplanes flying over river valley in moonlight, Somme, Western Front during the First World War. The AFC was established in 1913. In 1915 Australia was asked by Britain to form compile squadrons for service with the RFC . Australia responded by despatching No. 1 squadron to Egypt. During the next two years the squadron operated first from Heliopolis and later in Palestine and Syria. More squadrons were raised in Australia for the Western Front. No. 2, 3 and 4 squadrons arrived in France during August, September and December 1917 respectively. No. 2 squadron (flying DH5s) was attached to the Third Army and during the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 carried out patrol duties, ground strafing of enemy troops and bombing. No. 3 squadron (flying RE8s) was supporting the last phase of the Passchendaele campaign in Flanders. The last Australian squadron to arrive (No. 4 flying Sopwith Camels) took up its duties with the First Army. At the end of the First World War, the AFC was disbanded and replaced by the Australian Air Corps which became the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1921.
Richard Carline (1896-1980) was a painter, writer and administrator, in Oxford, United Kingdom. His father, George Carline, his mother, Anne, and brother Sydney, his sister Hilda (Mrs Stanley Spencer) and his wife, Nancy, were all painters. Carline served in World War I and was appointed an Official War Artist. With his brother he became noted for war pictures from the air. Between 1924 and 1929 Carline taught at the Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford. During World War II Carline supervised camouflage of factories and airfields. Carline died in Hampstead, United Kingdom in 1980. The Imperial War Museum holds his work, including the outstanding and pioneering series of paintings, from World War I, based on observations made from aeroplanes.