Commemoration and Creative Responses : Art : Experiences of war

Those in the services, including prisoners of war, often created art works from whatever resources were at hand. For example, scraps of paper were used for drawings, the remains of ammunition and weapons were converted to sculptures and woodwork, and diary pages often had illustrations. Interesting examples of the work of South Australian prisoners of war can be viewed at the Daw Park Repatriation General Hospital Museum and the Army Museum of South Australia at Keswick.

Sketches depicting immediate surroundings give a glimpse of the war artist's environment, and also convey a sense of the artist's response to the wartime experience. The drawings of South Australian Harry Swift, interned in Germany's R Prison in the First World War, and Frances Harvie's diary including sketches of daily life as a member of the Australian Women's Land Army in the Second World War are available in the State Library's archival collections. Cartoons were a popular medium for depicting events and personalities. The work of Jack Treloar evokes a strong impression of the staff and environment of the Loveday Internment Camp.