World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
Extract from "Crusading at Anzac", "The Snipers – Anzac, May, 1915", Sketch by Ellis Silas.
Ellis Luciano Silas (13 July 1885 - 2 May 1972) was a British artist and draughtsman who served as an ANZAC during World War 1. He was .born in London, Silas' grandfather was the Anglo-Dutch composer Edouard Silas and his father, Louis Silas was an artist. Silas studied art from his father and was also a student of the artist Walter Sickert. In 1907, aged 23, Silas moved to Australia where he continued to develop as a painter.He painted in Sydney and Melbourne before settling in Perth.
Silas enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in October 1914.. Silas was never confident that he would make a good soldier even though he had served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and had some experience of military life. Silas embarked with the 16th Infantry Battalion for Egypt in December 1914. Throughout early 1915, Silas continued his training as a signaller outside Cairo, Egypt.
On the evening of 25 April 1915, the battalion was waiting on the deck of a transport to go ashore on Gallipoli The Battle of the Landing on Gallipoli in which the 16th Battalion took part lasted from 25 April to 3 May 1915. Silas told some of the battalion's story after the Gallipoli Campaign in a book called Crusading at Anzac AD 1915. Silas' book is based on extracts from the diary and sketchbook he kept during his time at Anzac. His words and images provide a dramatic insight into the dangers, hardships and loss that accompanied the Anzacs as they tried to establish a foothold on the Gallipoli peninsula.
Silas landed on Gallipoli in the evening of 25 April with the 16th Battalion. In the first weeks on Gallipoli, 16 Battalion was reduced to two companies suffering heavy casualties at Pope’s Hill and Quinn’s Post. By 17 May, Silas had become seriously ill and was taken by hospital ship back to Egypt. From Egypt, he was transferred to England and in August 1916, was discharged from the AIF as being permanently unfit for active service.
His sketches from the front were viewed by King George and Queen Mary in May 1916. His book Crusading at Anzac was published in 1916 with forewords by Sir Ian Hamilton and William Birdwood.
Details
Details
The Snipers – Anzac, May, 1915.
The snipers had been causing us a deal of trouble. It became almost impossible to go round this
corner without getting hit. Finally we were unable to bring up our supplies, The poor chap in the foreground was shot a few minutes before I made this sketch; and, the pack,horse severely wounded. Despite the great danger, two men rushed forward and caught hold of the startled animals thus preventing a stampede which, in the confined space of the narrow road -if such it could be called-might have, caused an impasse and this under the existing conditions would have been highly dangerous. The repetition of shrapnel in each sketch is not a fad of mine; but just the natural order of things : they became as much part of the landscape as the clouds.
Signaller Ellis Silas was the only artist to paint and sketch actual battle scenes showing Australian soldiers in action at Gallipoli. He was commissioned in 1919 by the Australian War Records Section to paint images of Gallipoli at the initiative of C. E. W. Bean who wanted ex-servicemen to paint from their experiences.
The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia is planning an exhibition relating to the Gallipoli service of Silas Ellis and his sketches for Anzac Day 2025.
Open in Google Maps
Nearest geotagged records:
- World War 1, Australia, Western Australia, 71 WILKERSON, 10 Light Horse (0.49km away)
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac" (0.55km away)
- World War 1, Australia, Western Australia, 97 CHIPPER, 10 Light Horse (0.71km away)
- World War 1, Australia, Western Australia, ANDERSON, 10 Light Horse (0.71km away)
- World War 1, Australia, Western Australia, RICHARDSON, 10 Light Horse (0.72km away)
- World War 1, Australia, Western Australia, 966 PENNY, 10 Light Horse (0.72km away)
- World War 1, Australia, Western Australia, 803 HOWELL, 10 Light Horse (0.72km away)
- World War 1, Europe Turkey Gallipoli, 11 Battalion, (0.77km away)
- World War 1, Europe Turkey Gallipoli, 1915 (0.77km away)
- World War 1, Australia, Western Australia, HUTTON, 10 Light Horse (0.91km away)
View all geotagged records »
Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
More items like this
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
Other items from Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- World War 1, South-West Asia, Turkey, Gallipoli, SILAS, "Crusading at Anzac"
- 106MM RECOILESS RIFLE (M40)
- Electonic Test Equipment - Wave Oscillator
- Telephone Technology - British Post Office SE50 Exchange Switch, 1950s
- World War 1, Framed Soldier Embroidery, Rising Sun Badge, 4046 HOGG, 32 Battalion AIF
- World War 1, Filet Crochet Commemorative Tablecloth, 5678 CALLAGHAN, 1915
- World War 2, Embroidered Handkerchief, WX3595 TILLOT, 2/7th Field Ambulance
- World War 1, Family Framed Embroidered Textile Souvenir, 1607 KINSTON, 10 Light Horse, 1916
- Vietnam - Scrim Sweat Rag, 55093 LAWLER, 4 Field Regiment,
- Manual Rural Telephone Exchange / Switchboard, 1930s