NAM.1997-07-10-1

British infantry vehicles advancing, Iraq, 1991. Oil on board, signed and dated lower left, 'J A Wade 1992', by Captain Jonathan Wade (b 1960), Royal Highland Fusiliers, 1992. The Gulf War of 1991 occurred as the direct result of the invasion of the small, oil-rich state of Kuwait by Iraq on 2 Aug 1990. This followed a series of arguments over oil, money and boundaries, and threatened the world’s oil supplies as well as the delicate balance of power in the Middle East. A United Nations military interdiction was authorized on 14 September and troops from a coalition of 28 nations deployed to the Middle East. After the deadline set for Iraq’s withdrawal of 15 January 1991 passed without result, the military response went into action. By 27 February a cease-fire was ordered and by 3 March Iraqi leaders formally accepted terms. In this scene, Warriors (officially called Combat Vehicle, Personnel, Tracked 30 mm Gun Warrior, FV510 Section Vehicle) of the 1st Bn, The Staffordshire Regiment drive across a seemingly-vast and empty desert, followed by a trail of dust. Only burning Iraqi vehicles on the horizon act as a reminder that this is an image of war. Typically, the only other features of the landscape are a few rocks and small outcrops of vegetation and an empty, rusting oil drum, half buried by the sand. As a serving army officer, the artist, Jonathan Wade, was attached to HQ 7th Armoured Brigade for five months during the Gulf War (1990-1991). He spent much of his spare time there sketching and later generously donated many of his drawings to the National Army Museum.

Gulf War (1990-1991)