Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

SOLDIER AND ARTIST 
Lieutenant George Benson, D.C.M., 3rd Field Artillery Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, soldier and artist, who has just received his commission, has had a wonderfully varied career. He has been in the Flying Corps, the infantry, the artillery, the Navy and was for a time attached to the Head quarters Staff. Now he has been promoted to a lieutenancy, and has been chosen out of more than 100 others as one of the artists to make pictoral records of scenes at the front for the Commonwealth Government. In announcing this tribute to his worth as an artist in a letter to his mother, who lives at 14 South Cres cent, Westgarth, Lieutenant Benson says; —
"You will be happy to learn that I have been chosen as one of the artists for Australia. I was the first chosen out of more than 100 others, and I feel very much bucked up in consequence. At present I am on duty with a trench mortar battery, and I expect to go to the line shortly." Born in Fitzroy 32 years ago, and educated at the Bell street State school, of which he was "dux" at the age of 11 years, he gained valuable training as an artist with Mr H. J. Weston, the well-known Melbourne poster artist. Afterwards he joined the staff of "The Bulletin." 'but left Sydney to return to Melbourne, where he
was attached to "Punch." Later he set up a studio on his own account, and just before he went into camp he held a private exhibition of his work in the Athenaeum in conjunction with Lionel Lindsay and A. Stockfeld. Among his wide circle of friends he is immensely popular, on inexhaustible stock of good humor being one of his chief characteristics.
As far back as September, 1914, he enlisted, and was one of the Australian advance guard to leave for service abroad. Before the Gallipoli landing Lieutenant Benson's experience as an artist proved useful. From the deck of the Queen Elizabeth he made a detailed panoramic drawing of the country from Suvla Bay to Cape Helles,
showing the Turkish trenches and batteries and other important features of tho Peninsula. Copies of this drawing were subsequently distributed, and proved of the utmost value to the artillery men. He took part in the landing, and saw a great deal of service. He has been wounded three times, and in the course of his term of
nearly four years he has, as stated, played many parts and had numerous hairbreadth escapes. His abundant humor has kept him cheery and bright, (ind in his latest letter he reports himself as "still going strong."