Jim Kibble

Jim Kibble was a bricklayer before World War One. He tried to enlist immediately when war broke out, but was rejected as being too short. He tried again and was accepted in April 1915. Jim arrived at Gallipoli in August with the 17th Battalion, where he remained until evacuation. He was sent to Egypt, and to France early in 1916, he was wounded in the head at Pozieres and evacuated, but returned to the front line. Towards the end of the war he served as a stretcher bearer. Jim served with the Commonwealth Police during the Second World War. Depicts a study for portrait of 1575 Private James Formby 'Jim' Kibble, drawn on pilgrimage for the 75th anniversary of the Landing at Gallipoli. In his portrait of Leslie Hales, the speckled landscape is echoed in the old man's face. In this way, the painting suggest the power of the Peninsula on the veterans memory and the force of the Anzac experience on his vision of the world. Jim was 96 when this was painted at Ari Burnu.