Trees and Trenches of Battlefield, Delville Wood

The Battle of Delville Wood (1916) was a series of engagements in what became known as the Battle of the Somme in World War I. It has particular relevance for South African history because the 1st South African Infantry Brigade was central to the capture of the territory and lost 2500 lives in the deadly conflict.

Everard’s painting focuses on the destruction of the landscape, through a representation of the network of trenches, artillery fire and inclement weather turning the ground to a sea of mud. The bare and blasted trees she depicts stand starkly against a cloudy, turbulent sky, implicitly framing the death and destruction of the scene. It is a triumph of emotional, expressionist landscape painting. 

Artwork courtesy of Pretoria Art Museum.