Capture of the walls of Le Quesnoy, 1920
Capture of the walls of Le Quesnoy by George Edmund Butler, 1920.
Butler’s painting shows how the men of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade liberated the fortified town of Le Quesnoy on 4 November 1918. Rather than risk civilian lives in an artillery bombardment, the New Zealanders used a ladder to scale the ancient walls surrounding the town. Not only does this painting illustrate the qualities of courage and initiative that came to define the achievements of the New Zealand soldiers, it also manages to capture a sense of the teamwork, solidarity and mateship that became one of the trademarks of the life among the Anzacs.
Credit
National Collection of War Art, Archives New Zealand
Reference: AAAC898 NCWA 535
Artist: George Edmund Butler
Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any reuse of this image.
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TwitterSancerre -there is a quote in Colonel Hugh Stewart, The New Zealand Division 1916-1919, Auckland, 1921, pp. 591–2 which suggests Harold Kerr was second on the ladder, followed by Barrowclough - you can find this quote here: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-Fran-t1-body1-d16.html#n667
My grandfather was in involved in the liberation of Le Quesnoy. He told his family he was second on the ladder, and this has been part of our family history. Is there anyway I can find out who the men were who were with Leslie Averill on the ladder?
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