Improvised sign, 'WIND DANGEROUS' : Pont D'Achelles, France : Lieutenant Colonel J B St Vincent-Welch, 13 Field Ambulance, AIF

Sign board made from a pair of planks from an 18 Pounder shell case box lid, held together by a pair of timber battens. There are remnants of a pair of leather straps at the lower edge. The face of the sign is painted with gloss black enamel with the words 'WIND DANGEROUS' in white lettering. Black stencils on the rear of the sign, which has a whitewashed finish, show the date '4.8.16' and 'HE 18 PDR'. The words 'PONT D'ACHELLES' are also faintly written in pencil on the rear.

This is one of a pair of signs, 'WIND SAFE' and 'WIND DANGEROUS', which would have indicated the probability of gas attack to soldiers in a section of trench. The sign was made from a box which had originally contained High Explosive shells for an 18 Pounder field gun.

The name 'Pont D'Achelles' written on the back probably indicates that they originated in this area, which was in the Armentieres - Nieppe sector, occupied by British forces for most of the war.

Pont D'Achelles was the site of a combined dressing station and collection post during the battle of Messines in June 1917. In the two weeks of June 6 -15, the Pont D'Achelles dressing station treated 433 soldiers of the Third and Fourth Australian Divisions who had been gassed during the Messines Battle.

• Improvised sign, 'WIND SAFE' : Pont D'Achelles, France : Lieutenant Colonel J B St Vincent-Welch, 13 Field Ambulance, AIF