Interior of Corbie Abbey, showing effect of shell-fire

The distinctive Corbie Abbey appears in numerous works in the Memorial’s collection of official war art. The town of Corbie, in the Somme Valley 15 kilometres east of Amiens, was in Allied territory for most of the war but in 1918 was on the front line. Between April and May the town was heavily shelled and the Abbey received several direct hits. Despite severe damage, the building remained standing and was restored after the war.

James F Scott enlisted in the 50th Battalion AIF in May 1916 and served on the Western Front. He was injured in September 1916 at Zonnebeke. In 1918 he was seconded to work as an artist in the Australian War Records Office and so recorded the closing months of the war.