Wounded digger

Two views of unidentified soldier, one full length and one from waist upwards, right arm in sling, uniform tunic slung over shoulders during the North African campaign. There is an indiscernible drawing in red crayon on the verso. This drawing is part of a group of works that were extensively water-damaged in a cargo accident while being shipped to Australia from the Middle East in 1941. It was eventually returned to Hele in Aldinga, South Australia, where he revised and reworked the original material and used it as the basis for many of his later studio paintings.