SKETCHES FROM A BLACK AND WHITE LIFE - TOP CARTOONIST , VANE LINDESAY : THE WAR YEARS .

 Like Communist   author, Frank Hardy,   cartoonist , theatrical  designer ,  book illustrator , author, Vane  Lindesay , of  Melbourne ,   saw   war   service  in  the Northern  Territory. He   was  in  Darwin  the   day  Japanese  bombed   the  city  on  February  19,1942.  There is  an  account of   that   momentous  event  in  his  above  autobiographical  book , published  by  Trojan , 2005 ,   from   which  he  kindly  agreed   information  and   illustrations  could   be   taken  for   this  series .

 In  the Signal  Troop of the 19^th Machine Gun Battalion  , Lindesay  headed  north  from Adelaide  by   train  and  at  Alice  Springs, the  end of the  line ,   bought  a  bullroarer  from an Aborigine.   The  rest  of  the  journey to  Darwin  was   made  in  hot , dusty   trucks  and on  arriving  in  the Top End   they were placed  in  open  railway cattle trucks  for  the  last   leg . They  went  into camp at  Winnellie  and  then  to  what  is  listed  in  the  book as   “Nutty's Lagoon”,  which almost certainly  would have  been  Knuckey’s Lagoon. However , knowing  the Australian  sense  of  humour  and the goings on  in Territory military camps , Knuckey's  may well have been converted  to  Nutty's .  For example , in  the  camp where Hardy was based,  there was  a sign over the doorway of a hut :THE KREMLIN . Abandon Hope All  Who Enter. 

 Lindesay  wrote  that  soon after  arriving  in  Darwin  the  troops witnessed  the  departure, and return , of the 2/2 Pioneer Battalion, headed  for  Koepang,   forced  to   turn  back  after being  bombed  at  sea.

 While in Darwin  ,  Lindesay  drew   on  a  piece  of   YMCA  note  paper  the above  first illustrated cover   for the  December  21 , l942  Christmas edition   of  the  Australian Army Education Service publication , Salt  (an acronym  for Sea, Air, Land Troops), with a  circulation of 180,000. Prior to that , the  cover had  been  grey ,  overlaid  with   lines  of   type , as  below  right .

 The  cover  note   said  the Aborigine  , Johnny ,  was  popular with  Diggers in Darwin's "lush  and vernal  jungle,"drawn by Lance-Corporal J.C. Lindesay , CMF. Wearing an Army tin hat  and carrying a 9ft spear, he was  a  curious sight  and  had  offered  his services for  the  war  effort  as  an  air  raid warden. 
 

The  day  of  the  Japanese attack  on  Darwin , Lindesay was  a member of a  party  stringing out a telephone  cable  through  the  bush  to  a  machine gun post  when they  heard  the sound of  massive  explosions. Seconds  later, a low  flying   fighter  plane,   was  seen  and  they  dived for  shelter  behind  anthills .

 One  of   the  vessels sunk in  the harbour was  the American destroyer , USS Peary, which he had visited a  week earlier . When  he and others  came across  a  shot down  Mitsubishi  zero  fighter a few days later, they  all  took  souvenirs , against regulations . Vane used  a  nail file  to  fashion  a  flat,  tiny  enemy  plane  , still  in  his  possession.  Suffering  trauma  from  the  Japanese attacks , Vane  spent  time in a  field  hospital  at Adelaide River and  was  sent  back  to  Melbourne  .

Camp  Pie section  of  October  1942  Salt  edition  sketch  by  American

[It is  interesting  to note that  another  famous  cartoonist  and  war  correspondent, Tony  Rafty, whose  life has  been  covered in  Little Darwin (Blotchy Artist Captured Wartime Darwin –October 19, 2011),  spent five months in  Darwin during the war.  He  was also  placed  in hospital   when  unexplainable  blotches  broke out on his body. While there, he entertained staff with  drawings of  personnel . A  senior officer decided   he was more valuable as an artist than an infantryman , and arranged for him to be   sent to the Australian Military History Unit, St. Kilda, Melbourne , where he became a war artist , designing  jackets  for Army and Air  Force  journals ; as a war correspondent and artist  , he went on  to  become   close  to  President Sukarno   of  Indonesia  . Both  Rafty   and   Lindesay  became   friends  . ]   

Back  in  Melbourne ,  Lindesay  was  put to  work  by  the Army loading   ships  and  trains  and  even had a spell as  a  pay clerk .  In  a  way ,  his   time  in  Darwin , despite the  impact on  his  health , was  to prove  fortunate  because  he  was  then sent to join the  talented  band   of   individuals- " all eccentrics " - who  produced  Salt.    Readers of the publication were  urged  to  "Pass  the  Salt" after  reading as it was  distributed on  the basis   of  one  in  three  of  all  ranks. 

In this  Salt  group photograph, Vane Lindesay  is second  from the right in the top row ,  editorial  artist  Ambrose  Dyson is  fifth  and  Frank Hardy  is seventh .   Dyson  and  Hardy  were    very   close ;  Dyson would  later contribute  chapter   drawings to  Hardy's  highly controversial  book , Power  Without  Glory , which saw the author  charged  with  criminal  libel  and  acquitted .   

1945 Lindesay Christmas  cover depicts  soldier chasing  a  chook  with a souvenired  Japanese   sword  . Bogus swords, he said , were made  by enterprising Australians   from  Jeep  springs  and  sold  to  unsuspecting   Yanks .

 Frank   Hardy   joined   Salt , after  Vane ,  in 1944 .  Hardy   was  not  employed  as  an   artist  or  writer. He  was  a " press artist " -  meaning   he  supplied  a   range  of   small drawings  or   symbols  used   to  decorate  a   page , break  up  a  block  of  print  , like  a   crossword  ,  a  map  .  Such  an  item  is  called   a   dinkus .   Affable ,  Frank  ,  lean ,  was   full  of  self , but  not   pompous  .    

Hardy had  described himself as a  backyard journalist and  cartoonist  when he was   based in the NT ,  down  the  track   at   the  Australian Army 8^th Advance Ordnance  Depot ,  Mataranka. 

In the camp he  had  edited   a  publication  called  the Troppo  Tribune , told  colourful  yarns  at  "beer nights " and  did  some  writing .  Also  at  Mataranka   was   the   playwright  and  author  Sumner Locke  Elliott ,  who  used  his  observations  to   write  the  controversial  play , Rusty  Bugles . Journalist   Sergeant   Frank "Bluey" Ryland , who went to Japan  with  the Occupation Forces,   influenced  Hardy’s   writing    at    Mataranka  . Another who  influenced  Hardy in his writing  and outlook in  the camp was  Paul Mortier, a staunch Communist , mentioned previously in  this blog , who  early in  the postwar  years ran the  Darwin Workers' Club, with  grand plans to turn it into a cultural and educational  centre  for  the  entire  community . 

 By  the time Hardy joined Salt  he had won the  School of  Modern  Writers'  Competition  with a  story,  A Stranger in  the  Camp , written  at  Mataranka.

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 The special  last edition of  Salt  was published  on  April 22 , 1946 . This is  how  Lindesay described his  contribution  to   that  issue :

I was given two  facing pages to draw  satirically, in fact sarcastically , lamenting how in 'civy street'  I would miss  the army - the healthy , vigorous open air  life , the  order and discipline , the leisure hours in the YM hut , and at nights , the  gentle , sonorous  notes of the  bugle playing lights out,  a nostalgic instrument, et cetera, and I had the distinction of  drawing   both  the first and  last  illustrated   Salt covers . The  final  , in  two colours and  black  , showed  a  coffin  bearing the  name SALT , borne  by  three  Servicemen and   a  WRAN , with a   bowler hat  wearing  cherub  rising, representing   civilian   life.  

 There  is  much  more   information  about   Salt  and  its  merry   crew  in  the  book.  Frank  Hardy    mentioned   Salt episodes  in  his  autobiographical  The Hard Way  , Rigby, 1961. In doing so  he referred  to "the famous Salt artist ,Vane."

It seems it was not unusual   for  Salt   staff   to catch up on  beauty  sleep by  having a kip on newspaper files  on  a  high shelf.  Hardy  wrote  that  Vane  , having  been up  all  night    designing  stage  sets  for   the New Theatre, clambered  into  the  sleeping  spot  and  an officer and another person  arrived to  make  a  stocktake .  Snoring  was  heard ,  the  stocktake  halted , and  Vane's  derrier  was  sighted  jutting over the edge of the   file , with  an  Ambrose  Dyson  sign  attached  in large red letters - SALT  ARTIST  AT  WORK .  Vane  commented  that  Hardy had embroidered   this   story . 

  

Outstanding  illustrations  like  this  by   Vane Lindesay , with his  joke line ,  made  him a household name  and  were said  to capture  the   very  essence of   the   Australian  way  of  life . In  addition, he  is  an authority on  the  history  of   Australian   black  and  white comic  art  and  has  written  books  on   the  subject.

NEXT:Life  after  Salt , including further  dealings with  Frank  Hardy  and   many  other  authors  and   cartoonists .