Observation of Fire

At the outbreak of the First World War Colin Gill joined the Royal Garrison Artillery but in 1916 was seconded to the Royal Engineers to work as a camouflage officer before being invalided out. In 1918, he was commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee to produce a large memorial canvas. To refresh his memory, he returned to Arras in France in November 1918 during which time he produced a number of smaller works. For this painting Gill gave the description: 'Gunner officers correcting their battery fire by field telephone from a disused trench in No Man's Land'. The work captures the danger faced by forward artillery observers, who were often required to take up positions in No Man’s Land in order to direct artillery fire.