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No.1 Company, 1st Battalion Irish Guards on Objective ELYSIUM, Basra
6 April 2003: On 6th April the Irish Guards Battlegroup attacked Objective ELYSIUM (Basrah College of Literature). In the afternoon, No 1 Company was tasked to clear and secure the Objective, and encountered numerous enemy who were firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Large numbers of the enemy were cleared from buildings. By last light, it was believed that all of the Fedayeen had been cleared from the complex. A night-time defensive posture was adopted but, nonetheless, Piper Muzvuru and Lance Corporal Malone were killed by Fedayeen hiding in the buildings. I have depicted these two soldiers and their comrades dismounting from their Warrior (call sign 'One Three').
Some of the soldiers have affixed green fabric shamrocks, (made by the children of the British School at the Battalion's base in Munster), to their helmets. The men's Bergen rucksacks are strapped to the side of the Warrior.
While I was with the Irish Guards, I sketched the vehicles and these buildings on the spot. The large sky-blue dome of a nearby mosque was a distinctive feature. Loose pages of students' manuscript books were scattered over the ground; as I picked some up it was poignant to read their compositions and grammar exercises in well-written English.
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Printed image size(s): B2 only (58 x 38 cm)
Owner: Irish Guards
Price(s): £70
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