Historical information
In April 2002, illustrative panels were set in place at Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Park designed to inform visitors about significant aspects of the reserve and its tower. One of these deals with its indigenous story, another portrays its original 1920 memorial, a third has upon it Will Longstaff’s famous war painting, “Midnight at Menin Gate.”
This sign establishes a connection with the First World War by way of the painting "Menin Gate at Midnight". (NL 144) The artist William Longstaff lived in Eltham; his son attended school at Kangaroo Ground. The orignal of his painting is on permanent display in the Australian War Memorial.
Since this photograph was taken (date unknown) the information panel has been restored and re-erected by staff of the Shire of Nillumbik who replicated the wooden side frame pieces with the same wood-turn design as seen here in the original.
Physical description
Colour photograph
Inscriptions & markings
MENIN GATE AT MIDNIGHT
Will Longstaff, 1927
Oil on canvas,
Size 135cm high x 254cm wide
Collection: Australian War Memorial
The artist Will Longstaff was born in in Ballarat in 1879 and died at Littlehampton, Sussex, UK, 1953. Will Longstaff for many years lived in Eltham, his son Tommy, attending school at Kangaroo Ground. As an Official War Artist, will Longstaff depicted in his alegorical painting the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium.
The Memorial unveiled on 24th July 1927 honours by name over 50, 000 allied soldiers who fell in the Great War and have no known graves. The names of 6,208 men of the first Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) are listed within the Memorial on stone tablets. The painting held huge emotional appeal to Australians when it arrived from England in 1928, attracting an estimated one million viewers, many of whom interpreted the field of red poppies in the foreground as the spirits of the dead rising from their unknown graves.
The painting is to be found in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
Subjects
References
- Menin Gate at Midnight From the collection of the Australian War Memorial
- Famous painter old resident of Eltham Advertiser January 27, 1928 The picture “Ghosts of Menin Gate,” which has been presented to Australia by Lord Woolavington (formerly Sir James Buchanan) was painted by Mr. Will Longstaff, who is an old resident of Eltham. Mr. Longstaff lived here for a good number of years, and enlisted when the war broke out, subsequently attaining the rank of captain, and being the official artist with the A.I.F., when hostilities ceased he obtained his discharge in England, where he has since resided. This story was published in “Fine Spirit and Pluck: World War One Stories from Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea” published by Yarra Plenty Regional Library, August 2016