This watercolour depicts a convoy of merchant ships being led by three Dido-class light cruisers. The first three ships of this class were commissioned in 1940 and a further thirteen were introduced during the Second World War. Designed primarily for anti-aircraft use, they notably played a key role in the Mediterranean, escorting Allied supply convoys on the vulnerable route to the strategically important island of Malta. Another work by Burgess, previously handled by the gallery, captured a convoy in the Mediterranean under aerial attack during Operation Pedestal in August 1942.
During the Second World War Burgess worked as an official Australian war artist (a position he had previously held in the First World War) and also undertook commissions from various companies to paint merchant ships in convoys and different ports. Works by Burgess are held by the National Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney and several British public collections, including the Imperial War Museum, the National Museum of the Royal Navy, and the National Maritime Museum.
