In 1919 the Library purchased 125 original photographic prints by Frank Hurley recording Australia’s activities in the First World War. In the foreword to the catalogue, official war photographer Hurley stated: ‘I make no claim to pictorial merit; the pictures are records, and except for several of the larger ones are faithful reproductions of the scenes they portray. In order to convey accurate battle impressions, I have made several composite pictures, utilising a number of negatives for the purpose.’ In this composite work, Hurley has created a more dynamic scene by superimposing planes and explosions onto an image of soldiers leaving the trenches.