#MB52
1919
Watercolour on paper, ca. 26x42,5 cm (ca. 10 ¼ x 16 ¾ in). Signed and dated in watercolour in the right lower corner, captioned and dated in pencil on verso. Paper browned, with minor stains on the bottom part of the watercolour, two repaired tears on the top margin, but overall a good watercolour.
This watercolour was made by a soldier of the 5th battalion, East Surrey Regiment which was engaged in the military operations on the Tigris and Southern Kurdistan as a part of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary force in WWI.
“The 5th and 6th Battalions of The East Surrey Regiment were not to see service on the Western Front. They embarked for India in October 1914 and were employed on garrison duties in the United Provinces and the Punjab for two years. The 5th Battalion then joined the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force and took part in the operations on the Tigris, while the 6th Battalion left India for a twelve month tour of duty with the Aden Field Force. This Battalion returned from India for demobilization in 1919, but the 5th Surreys, who were engaged on active operations in Southern Kurdistan until late December, did not reach home until February 1920” (surreycc.gov.uk).
