The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
The figure of an airman dressed in tropical uniform and flying gear is suspended in the air by his parachute in a crucifix pose, caught in a shell ravaged tree. Intended to symbolise the heroism of the air crews who flew over the jungles, Adams wanted to make a memorial to those who had fought and died. This sculpture commemorates those Australian airmen who fought in the Pacific who did not return from operational sorties.
While Adams was attached to the RAAF squadrons in New Guinea theatre of operations during the Second World War he was inspired to make this sculpture. Adams claimed that while preparing to make the sculpture he started by drawing a sketch. Once he was satisfied with the design he made a plaster maquette or a small model of the proposed sculpture. Later when preparing to cast the sculpture in bronze, his original drawing was scaled up to the become life size. In modeling the airman, Adams borrowed a pair of flying boots from an ex-Spitfire pilot to use as a model. He was careful to maintain an accuracy in his subject matter, making them as life like as possible.
Paul Montford arrived in Australia from England in 1923 with a strong reputation as a sculptor. He had trained at the Royal Academy School as a scholarship holder, won numerous sculpture prizes, exhi
The giant clay figure of an airman in George Rayner Hoff's studio, Studio 9, in Sydney. This sculpture is one of sixteen figures made for the Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney, designed by C Bru
This bronze sculpture is of an Australian officer on patrol during the Vietnam War. He holds an automatic rifle in one hand and map in the other. The model for this sculpture was Lieutenant Donald Ray
Figure of an airman in uniform, carrying a parachute. This sculpture was created as a souvenir for sale through the Australian War Memorial. There is a large scale version of this sculpture in the N
This is a maquette study for the large scale memorial to the Merchant Navy, 'Survivors', by Dennis Adams. It was created at a scale of approximately four and half to the envisaged final memorial. A
Light Horseman mounted on rearing horse, while NZ Mounted Rifleman is dismounting as his horse scrambles to its feet, created to commemorate the Australians and New Zealanders of the Desert Mounted Co
