Melbourne Artist George Petrou - Supporting our cause

Melbourne artist George Petrou with some of his Anzac works in his studio.

Recently, the famous Melbourne graphic designer and artist George Petrou approached our Committee to see if we could work together to support the Lemnos Gallipoli cause.
George's is a local Melbournian, born in Cyprus.
He has recently completed a series of original paintings based on the famous photographs of the lost diggers of Vignacourt. These photographs were only found in recent years and reveal a startling group of clear portraits of hundreds of diggers, many of whom were later to die in Western France.
George's original works, are inspired by these photographs, giving them a modern feel that many say bring the images to life for our own day. Below I have reproduced some images of these great paintings by George to give an indication of his work:

It is hoped that these images will soon be on show at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
George is proposing to reproduce some of the famous Anzac images of Lemnos in 1915 for a modern audience. One can imagine who amazing original paintings of the nurses on Lemnos, Lance Corporal Albert Jacka or General John Monash walking the Island or the images of Anzac's and local villagers would inspire a new generation.
The sale of these images will help raise funds for our Lemnos Gallipoli projects.
The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee is working with George to make these new images a reality.
If you are interested in purchasing one of George's Anzac or future Lemnos paintings please contact me.
Watch this space.
Thanks to George for his great initiative.

The Lost Diggers of Vignacourt - More Information
The small French village of Vignacourt was always behind the front lines. For much of the First World War it was a staging point, casualty clearing station and recreation area for troops of all nationalities moving up to and then back from the battlefields on the Somme.
Captured on glass, printed into postcards and posted home, the photographs made by the Thuillier family enabled Australian soldiers to maintain a fragile link with loved ones in Australia. The Thuillier collection covers many of the significant aspects of Australian involvement on the Western Front, from military life to the friendships and bonds formed between the soldiers and civilians.
The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection contains almost 4,000 glass-plate negatives depicting British, French, Australian, US, and Indian soldiers, Chinese labour corps, and French civilians. More than 800 of these glass-plate negatives featuring Australians were generously donated to the Australian War Memorial by Mr Kerry Stokes AC in August 2012.
Thanks to the Australian War Memorial for this information.

See the Lost Digger Images

You can view these photographs in Ross Coulthart's lavishly produced book, The Lost Diggers, availabel from most bookstores. It retails for $70 and is well worth the purchase.
Detail of the book from Angus and Robertson states:
"The Lost Diggers is the riveting detective story of the hunt across northern France to Vignacourt for a rumoured treasure trove of antique glass photographic plates that led investigative journalist Ross Coulthart to an ancient metal chest in a dusty attic in a small farmhouse. The nearly 4000 glass plates taken by Louis and Antoinette Thuillier that he and his team discovered are being hailed by experts as one of the most important First World War discoveries ever made. But that was just the beginning. With meticulous research and the help of descendants, Coulthart has been able to discover the stories behind many of the photos, of which more than 330 appear in the book. The book's release coincided with an exhibition of the photos at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra."
To purchase the book, click here.

The Australian War Memorial’s travelling exhibition Remember me: the lost diggers of Vignacourt hich tells the story of how one enterprising photographer took the opportunity of this passing traffic to establish a business taking portrait photographs and showcases 74 photographs specially hand-printed in the Memorial’s darkrooms from the original glass-plate negatives.It also and draws on the Memorial's own collections to tell the story of these men in their own voices. You can view some images of the exhibition by clicking here. You can see more images from The Louis and Antoinette Thuillier Collection on Seven Network’s Lost Diggers Facebook page.
Check the Australian War Memorial for details of the exhibition - click here.
Thanks to the Australian War Memorial for this information.

Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee