[Hudson bomber and fuel tanker]

Depicts a Hudson bomber aeroplane on a runway with a fuel tanker beside it, re-fueling the plane. The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter. The Hudson I production aircraft was a variant produced for the Royal Air Force (RAF); 351 were built and 50 for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). William Edwin Pidgeon (1909-1981), known as 'WEP' was a war correspondent, painter, cartoonist and illustrator. During the Second World War many of his illustrations were published in the 'Australian Women's Weekly', which made him famous nationally. His works richly convey the lives and personalities of Australian troops and their experiences in Darwin (1943-44), New Guinea (Jan-Feb 1944) and Borneo and Morotai (Jan-Aug 1945). This work is one of over 400 items by WEP donated to the Memorial consisting of illustrated letters, paintings, sketches, drawings, photographs and ephemeral material related to his time as a war correspondent.

Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Peter and Elizabeth Pidgeon in memory of William Edwin Pidgeon 2014