Pen and ink map of France, 'La France'

This highly detailed and researched pen and ink map is a unique product of one New Zealand serviceman's wartime and postwar convalescence. In particular, it shows how this process intersected with the maker's personal interests (French culture) and professional interests skills (drafting). And, unlike most items created by soldiers in hospital, this one occupied its maker for many decades after the end of the war. The map is also a product of its time and place in other ways, in that it is based on historical sources - early prints of France - that the maker accessed while in England and was subsequently influenced by illustrators of the 1930s and 1940s.These factors set the object apart from most WWI soldier rehabilitation art and craft, much of which was produced in hospital by novices, and based on simple and generic patterns.

Based on notes compiled by Mary Waldron (niece of the maker), this map was created by Henry Benjamin (Ben) Cormack (1897-1959), who was an engineer/draughtsman with a life long interest in French history, art, culture and literature. In 1917, 20-year-old Ben Cormack enlisted for military service. In August 1918 he was wounded in action and was transferred to the NZEF's Hornchurch Convalescent Hospital, Essex. During this period of rehabilitation, Cormack commenced planning and set up early working drawings with a view to producing a detailed picturesque map of France based on early prints and maps that he was able to access from several sources in London.

However, wartime conditions imposed limited access to all resources, so accordingly progress was slow and Cormacks vision was only partially completed as pieces of parchment and quality paper came to hand. Pen nibs and inks were equally difficult to come by.(The sister of another patient is said to have raided a supply retrieved from the bombed remains of a local school).

Drafts and completed drawings, and working drawings were rolled and wrapped between sheets of brown paper and along with ink bottles were carefully placed between the contents of his kit bag, when Cormack returned to New Zealand in December 1918.

When he returned to France in 1929 to continue his research, Cormack became acquainted with the work of Roger Roumagnac and Pierre Andrieu and decided to extend his drawings to include gastronomic references to towns, provinces and regions. Roumagnac illustrated in colour numerous inter-war and post-war travel books in the French Ode Guide series, with text by Dore Ogrizek. However During the intervening years between World War I and World War II, Ben continued to work towards completion of his map. Work commitments and re-enlistment in 1940 interrupted progress.

In 1949, published his work La France and Ben carefully referenced his map to the publication, taking care to retain the subtle atmosphere of towns, regions and provinces that he sought to create earlier in 1918 when he began the project.

Ben Cormack's passion for this map spanned 40 years. While in the first instance this project assumed a therapeutic respite from the trauma of active service, 'La France' [the map] emerged finally not only as testament to those early years but confirmation of Ben's lifelong interest in architectural and artistic affairs.

Until his death in 1959, the map hung prominently in Ben's study. After this his brother W Cormack inherited it and in 1962 it was passed on to Mary Cormack, Ben's only niece.