Australian cruiser escort leading troop ship convoy Western Australian coast 20 January 1940
Frank NORTON: artist
Frank Norton had a lifelong passion for ships, and early on established a reputation as a marine painter. In 1941 Frank Norton was appointed the first official war artist for the Royal Australian Navy and served on ships in the Middle East and the Pacific. This is a sketch for a larger work commissioned by the Australian War Memorial in the late 1950s. It depicts ships carrying troops of the 2nd AIF’s 6th Division being escorted by HMAS Canberra and HMAS Australia, en route to active service in the Middle East, in January 1940.
Title
Australian cruiser escort leading troop ship convoy Western Australian coast 20 January 1940
Artist/Maker and role
Frank NORTON: artist
Date
c 1960
Medium
oil on hardboard
Measurements
45 x 91.2 cm (painting)
52.2 x 102.6 cm (frame)
52.2 x 102.6 cm (frame)
Credit line
Gift of the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia, 2002
The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
Accession number
2002/0066