| Place | Oceania: Pacific Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul Area, Rabaul |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART22840 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Framed: 64.7 cm x 79.8 cm; Unframed: 45.5 cm x 61 cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | oil on canvas on plywood |
| Maker |
Herman, Sali |
| Place made | Pacific Islands: Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul Area, Rabaul |
| Date made | 1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Liberated Indians, Rabaul
Description
'Soon after our landing at Rabaul we liberated our allied prisoners. Of these there were a great number of Indians who were in a state of misery and starvation, some mere skeletons with big staring eyes. In this painting I show some at a hospital. I tried to convey their horror.' Sali Herman, Rabaul, 1945
Herman enlisted in the Army in 1941 and was assigned to the First Camouflage Section. He later became a sergeant with the 3rd Royal Australian Engineers Training Battalion at Kapooka. He was appointed an official war artist in 1945 and worked in the Pacific for five months, recording scenes in Lae, Torokina, Bougainville and Rabaul.