'Challenger 2 tanks from 7th Armoured Brigade guarding Red 6, Gateway to Basra', Iraq, April 2003

Coloured acrylic ink with pen and ink, by Matthew Cook, 'The Times' War Artist, 2003.

Two Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards act as a Vehicle Check Point (VCP) at Red 6 - the 'Gateway to Basra' that was captured on Sunday 7 April. Symbolically, whoever held the gateway held the city. The tank crews proudly showed Cook the dents in the tanks' Dorchester armour made by strikes from rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and other direct fire weapons. The curious backdrop is a shell-damaged sculpture of a shark.