The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
A head and shoulders portrait of Mrs (later Dame) Alice Chisholm (DBE) who ran soldiers' canteens in the Middle East during the First World War. On her own initiative and with her own funds she established the first canteen at Heliopolis in Egypt. She later managed the canteen at Kantara. With the assistance of Miss Rania MacPhillamy, she expanded this into a large-scale venture that provided meals and refreshments to thousands of troops daily. She employed a large staff of mainly Egyptian workers. Official historian Henry Gullett wrote: 'Mrs Alice Chisholm's work was a bright example of the devotion of Australia's womanhood to the distant troops.' (Gullett, p. 649.) This is one of the few pencil portraits of a woman that Lambert made while he was an official war artist. Lambert wrote of his experience in making this drawing in March 1918; 'When I asked her for a sitting she modestly protested that she was not important enough. I got her to sit in a strong light; she has an interesting, careworn face, and a very charming personality, and her portrait was one of the best of my carefully-made drawings' (Moore, vol. 1, p.151).
A general view of Mrs Chisholm's canteen. A greatly appreciated canteen conducted by two Australian ladies, Mrs Alice Chisholm and Miss Verania (Rania) MacPhillamy, afforded the nearest home comforts
Depicts a sketch of Mrs Chisholm's canteen, Kantara, four incinerators and a large bucket are outside the building while a few men can be seen inside the "Cookhouse".
Depicts the entrance to the Officers Mess at Mrs Chisholms canteen, Kantara, Suez Canal. This expanded to include dormitories and dining-rooms and eventually had the capacity for handling thousand of
Group portrait of Miss Verania (Rania) MacPhillamy and her canteen staff at the Empire Club. Rania MacPhillamy, born in 1889, was the daughter of a wealthy squatter from Forbes NSW. In 1915 she traine
Miss Verania (Rania) MacPhillamy in her office at the Empire Club. Rania MacPhillamy, born in 1889, was the daughter of a wealthy squatter from Forbes NSW. In 1915 she trained as a VAD and went to Egy
An exterior view of the canteen at the Empire Soldiers' Club, which was supervised by Miss Verania (Rania) MacPhillamy. In one of the three buildings is the Divisional Club with a ticket window. Rania
