St John's Cathedral, Brisbane and the Anzac Legend

Like the Reverend Maxwell and Canon Garland (see sections 1 and 2), Woods was an Army chaplain from the Brisbane Anglican Diocese. From 1916 he was the senior Australian chaplain in Palestine. He was also an amateur archaeologist and when he learned that Australian Light Horsemen had discovered the mosaic at Shellal (and with the permission of their Commanding Officer Major-General Harry Chauvel, a fellow Queenslander) he took charge of the excavation, ensuring the mosaic’s careful preservation and its eventual transportation to Australia. He also arranged for a fragment to be sent to St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane. The mosaic is an exquisite example of Byzantine art and is known as the ‘Shellal Mosaic’. Regrettably, it is incomplete: it was severely damaged by the Turks when they dug their trenches diagonally across it. As well, other fragments were taken as souvenirs by Australian soldiers before Woods supervised the excavation. Despite this, the mosaic, which once formed part of the floor of an early Christian church, is one of the best of its kind from the 6th century, having been created in about CE 561-562 under the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian. Most of its imagery derives from Christian themes (for example the vine and the chalice) while other elements are purely decorative. Paul Daley observes that its delicate colours reflect every hue of russet and gold, subtle blues, oranges, agricultural greens and gentle eggshell blues, that render it an object of stunning beauty.

The full Shellal Mosaic as it appears on display in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Australian War Memorial ART40979

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