Naval and Marine Prisoners of War on the March ahead of the Allied Advance in Germany between Bremen and Lubeck, 1945

image: a muddy track in the countryside crowded with Allied soldiers and German guards. In the foreground a guard with a dog on a lead walks along the verge of the track. To his right are men in different naval and khaki uniforms. They all carry belongings; some in rucksacks, others in prams, and one figure has a bicycle. Several of the prisoners are looking up at the sky as they walk along.

context: As the Allies advanced, the Germans planned to move their Prisoners of War 80 miles North to Lubeck, to use them in negotiations. Along the way, the prisoners were subjected to attack from RAF planes, who could not distinguish their small makeshift White Ensign draped over a cart, nor their khaki uniforms; sadly six prisoners were killed. They were liberated on 2 May 1945 by the 11th Armoured Division. Worsley transported his art back to England in tubes made from 'KLIM' powdered milk tins that he had saved from Red Cross parcels. This oil was painted from sketches and memory after he had returned to England. The first figure on the left is a self-portrait, showing Worsley carrying one of the tubes made from tins.

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John Worsley 1945