British Troops in African Desert Painting, 1942

The picture "Brewing up in the Desert" was painted by my father, Ronald Birch. It was painted from memory about 1946 and exhibited at Shenstone Training College where Ronald was participating in the Emergency Teacher Training Scheme.

The scene is set in the winter of 1942. It was cold at night, hence the greatcoats. The glow of the sky is a particular feature of the desert at night.

Ronald is supervising a Crusader tank and depicts himself as the man with curly red hair standing in the centre of the group. The man at left is sitting on a munitions box.

Ronald shows an open can of Maconochie stew. This was the basic ration in the Second World War as well as the first, and highly unpopular. It consisted of beef and vegetables - potatoes, beans and turnips - and caused flatulence. Next to it is a mess tin. The stove was a tin with holes punched in it, filled with sand and soaked with petrol. The water is being boiled in a cut-down container.

Ronald was a radio operator in the 47th Royal Tank Regiment, part of the 8th Army Armoured Division at the Battle of El Alamein.