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Plaster Cast 2 Division AIF Memorial Panel

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Overview

Alone of the Memorials to the five Divisions of the Australian Imperial Force, that of 2 Division was a figurative sculpture rather than a simple obelisk. The object is a full size plaster cast, patinated bronze, of the high relief Infantry panel, one of four set at the base of the Memorial. The scene depicts four diggers clearing a German trench. Two panels contain dedication text while the other figurative panel depicts an 18 pounder field gun being hauled into action.

Historical information

Positioned at Mont St Quentin, where the Australian 2nd Division captured one of the most formidable defensive positions on the Western Front, the 2nd Division's memorial was unconventional. Instead of an obelisk such as at the other four AIF divisional memorials, the original memorial which was unveiled in 1925 was a statue of an Australian soldier bayoneting a German eagle sprawled at his feet. However, this statue was removed and destroyed by German soldiers in 1940 during World War II, leaving only the stone plinth. A replacement statue, consisting of an Australian soldier standing in full kit was installed in 1971.
The memorial lists the battle honours of the 2nd Division as: Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, Flers, Malt Trench, Lagnicourt, Bullecourt, Menin Road, Broodseinde Ridge, Passchendaele, Ville-sur-Ancre, Morlancourt, Hamel, Villers-Bretonneux, Herleville, Herbécourt, Biaches, Mont St. Quentin, Beaurevoir Line, and Montbrehain.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-99-765

Item type

Sculptures

Themes

Art and Design
Art and Design > Public Art
War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Plaster

Inscriptions and markings

The panels were sculpted by May Butler George, who was originally known for her miniature portraits and paintings on silk. Though she claimed never to have received an art lesson, May Butler George exhibited her miniatures in Melbourne, London and Paris on a regular basis. the miniature portraits she showed at the Australian Artists’ exhibition in Melbourne in 1912 earned her enough to pay her passage to England. There she painted miniature portraits of several eminent people, including Lord Kitchener, Princess Henry of Battenberg and many 'ladies of the manor’ in some of England’s 'most beautiful homes’ as well as Sir George Reid and other Australians in London. After her return to Australia and her work on the 2 Division panels, she increasingly became known for her sculptures. Bronze castings of the two figure panels are in the Sculpture Garden of the Australian War Memorial.

Contextual Information

The plaster cast is exhibited in the Traditions Gallery at the Army Museum. It was a donation from the Royal United Services Institue of Western Australia. How it arrived in their collection is unknown but it is assumed that there may have been a link to Lieutenant General JJ Talbot Hobbs who was both a pre-war and post-war President of the RUSI and was actively involved in the design , construction and dedication of AIF Memorials at home and abroad.

Geotag

49.947408071382, 2.9324683398497

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Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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Infantry Panel from 2 Division AIF Memorial

Postcard of original configuration of 2 Division AIF Memorial

The empty pedestal of the 2nd Australian Division Memorial after the removal by the Germans of the stature by Charles Webb Gilbert showing an Australian 'digger' bayoneting an eagle, Mont St Quentin, France, 1961. AWM A03748

The Second Australian Memorial of a digger in his slouch hat was installed in 1971 to replace an earlier memorial that was destroyed in World War II. Image: DVA

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