Bombing of Cassino Monastery and Town, May 1944
Reproduction Print
64/100
42 x 57 cm
Signed lower right in pen: Peter McIntyre,
Also signed in pen by Jack Hinton VC and Charles Upham VC and Bar
ILLUSTRATED
Peter McIntyre, Places and People, at Home and Abroad [Exhibition Catalogue]. Auckland, New Zealand: Jonathan Grant Galleries.
(2014) Art of War: From Crimea to Afghanistan [Exhibition Catalogue]. Auckland, New Zealand: Jonathan Grant Galleries.
EXHIBITED
Jonathan Grant Galleries, Peter McIntyre, Places and People, at Home and Abroad
Jonathan Grant Galleries, Art of War: From Crimea to Afghanistan, 2014
The Bombing of Cassino
McIntyre made studies of the bombing raids after he arrived in Cassino around 22 March 1940.
In one painting, Bombing Cassino Monastery and town (NCWA 13), smoke billows not only from the monastery, but also from the town and the surrounding countryside. What was once a picturesque town is now a sea of ruins. In front is the marshy ground that was to cause the New Zealanders so much trouble, and the broken trees of war.
More dramatic is Air raid at Monte Cassino (NCWA 315). Here the landscape takes up less than the bottom half of the painting and the sky is full of dark clouds of billowing smoke that virtually obliterates much of the scene. Faintly, at the top, are small planes, the harbingers of such destructive evil. The whole painting is full of action and it takes little imagination to sense the noise and the smells such horror brought.
Peter McIntyre was appointed as an official war artist in January 1941 by Major General Sir Bernard Cyril Freyburg D.S.O and V.C Commander of the 2nd NZ E.F. His painting of Cassino is especially evocative and forms part of the McIntyre Collection held by the National Archives of New Zealand.
Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham (1908 - 1994) VC and Bar - Upham was the first fighting soldier to win the Victoria Cross twice. He won his first VC during the Battle of Crete where after thrice destroying German machine gun posts wounded in the shoulder and foot he repeatedly went forward engaging the Germans. His second VC was received during the NZ Divisions battle at Mingar, North Africa, for attacking the Germans with hand grenades and despite being twice badly wounded and suffering blood loss continued to lead a fierce assault on German positions. Taken prisoner he made several attempts to escape before being sent to the infamous Colditz Camp where he was liberated in April 1945.
Sergeant John Daniel Hinton won his VC during the defence and evacuation of the Port of Kalamata. The Germans moved forward with machine gun fire and six inch guns. The order to retreat was given whereupon Hinton shouted "to hell with this, who'll come with me?" He ran towards the nearest 6 inch gun and wiped out the crew with two grenades. He continued on killing many Germans single-handedly - until he was shot in the stomach and captured. He was awarded his VC on 14 October 1941.
