'Somme July 1916 - Bombardment of Longueval on 2nd system seen from Montauban'

Pen and ink and watercolour by Lieutenant Richard Barrett Talbot Kelly MBE, MC, RI (1896-1971), Royal Field Artillery, 1916.

Longueval was devastated by shell fire during the Battle of the Somme. Most of the village was captured by the 9th (Scottish) Division on 14 July 1916, but bitter fighting raged in nearby Delville Wood until late August. The accompanying inscription declares: 'Very large no-mans-land 900-1200 yds. Note 77 mm cartridge case hung up as a gas gong. Gunner F.O.O. observing fire; wire cutting with shrapnel'.

As part of an 18-pounder gun battery crew, Talbot Kelly took part in many of the major offensives of the Western Front. He regularly served as a Forward Observation Officer, tasked with spotting where the artillery shells were landing. The unique vantage point of the battlefields that this job gave him, inspired him to draw his experiences.