Name

Frank Dunne

Other names

DUNNE, Beau

Culture

Australian

Gender

Birth date

1898

Birth place

Harden, New South Wales, Australia View on map Close map

Death date

1937

Death Place

New South Wales, Australia View on map Close map

Movements

Europe 1916-19

Occupations

Artist (painter) | Caricaturist | Illustrator

Summary

Worked: Australia (NSW).

NGA IRN

15576

Context

Australia

Biography

 

Frank Dunne was born in Harden NSW in 1898 and was known to his family as Beau. In 1914, at the age of 16, he enlisted with his older brother Bill for military service in the First World War. Together they served with the 1^st Field Ambulance. The unit was formed on 24 August 1914 at Queens Park Sydney and went ashore at Gallipoli at 10:00 on the morning of 25 April 1915. They left Gallipoli on 9 September 1915. The unit first saw action on the Western front near Pozieres around 20 July 1916, and went on to work in Mametz, Felrs, Bullicourt and Ypres. The unit was in the vicinity of Le Catou on Armistice Day, 11 November 1918. Frank Dunne returned to Australia in 1919. Frank Dunne’s art featured in magazines of the period such as Smith’s Weekly, which was noted for its cartoons and caricatures. Frank is best known for his ink drawings, usually featuring life on the Western front, but was also a talented painter in oils. Examples of Frank Dunne’s work also appear in the collections of the National Library of Australia and the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

[Information courtesy of Paul Jaffe, great-nephew of the artist] 

Last Updated

29 Jul 2021