Colin Colahan – War Artist.

The Australian War Memorial (AWM) holds over 90 artworks of Colin Colahan.

Colahan was born in Victoria in 1897 and gave up medical studies to attend the National Gallery School in 1917. He moved to Europe in 1935 and never returned to Australia.

In London in August 1942, he was appointed as an official Australian war artist and remained in the role until October 1945

The AWM collection includes at least 15 featuring the forestry units working in Scotland.

• Burning off in Scotland.
• Rain and bloody misery.
• Australian Foresters, Scotland.
• Scotch Sunday, church parade of 2nd Coy of Foresters.
• Bush Mill in Scotland.
• Scottish Idyll.
• Martha and Mary.
• Skids on the Highlands.

The portraits are of unit members from the 1st and 2nd companies of the Australian forestry units:

• Lieutenant Austin Rule (2nd Coy).
• Sapper Jack Garrig (2nd Coy). *
• Sapper Jack White (2nd Coy).
• Sapper Francis Deering (2nd Coy).
• Lieutenant Edmond Russell (2nd Coy).
• The Covenanter (Sapper Alan MacDonald, 1st Coy).
• Maintenance (Corporal Henry (Blue) Rogers, (1st Coy). *

The 1st Company were mostly from NSW, Queensland and South Australia while 2nd Company included many Forests Commission Victoria staff, local sawmillers and experienced bushmen from Victoria, WA and Tasmania including veterans of the First World War.

* Not available online