Will Dyson - Australia's first official war artist

Will
Dyson's depictions of Australian soldiers on the Western Front are as powerful
today as they were when they were created a hundred years ago. In his
celebrated series of frontline sketches, Dyson shifted the focus of the war from
grand political narratives to individual soldiers and their hardships. Depicting
the loneliness, miserable conditions, suffering and humour of
the ordinary soldier, Dyson’s work preserves the sentiments and Australian
characteristics of the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War.    

Gathering fuel, Delville Wood, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Preparing the brazier, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Back at Buire, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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The cookers near Villers-Bretonneux, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Old Flers Road, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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The waggon-loading post, Vaulx, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Company awaiting relief, the Caterpillar near Ville-sur-Ancre, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Reinforcements, between Igaree Corner and Lagnicourt, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Tunnellers under German territory, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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The misery of rest camps, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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The dynamo, Hill 60, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Home comforts in the tunnels, Hill 60, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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With Manton's guns, Hill 60, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Messines, morning of the offensive, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Watching the barrage from Mont Kemmel, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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German prisoners, Wytschaete Road, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Wine of victory (German prisoners captured at Ypres), Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Welcome back to the Somme, Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Deserted horse line near Pommiers Redoubt, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Searching for German booby traps near Ligny-Thilloy, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Bapaume church, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Compensation (Back at the wagon lines), Will Dyson, 1918, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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One of the old platoon, Will Dyson, 1917, From the collection of: Shrine of Remembrance
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Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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