Coming out on the Somme

Will Dyson (1880–1938) was a cartoonist and writer who became Australia’s first official war artist. He arrived in France in December 1916 and remained there unpaid until his official appointment came through on 3 January 1917.
Dyson’s drawings and sketches have become known for the way in which they record the soldiers’ exploits and suffering. They give an intimate view of life on the Western Front, its humour as well as its misery. Dyson recorded the Anzacs’ routine, and reveals their endurance. He rarely captured any heroics, and was determined that his art would not show the war “except as the filthy business it is”.