Rex Julius

Rex Julius was born in Sydney into an artistic family. His father, Henry Julius, was co-founder of the commercial art firm Smith & Julius and was known for his caricatures. Rex initially followed in his father’s footsteps as a commercial artist but, in 1940, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Rex trained in submarine detection, but the navy appointed him an official war artist in 1944 after senior officers saw a portfolio of his personal sketches. As an official war artist Julius was initially attached to the HMAS Rushcutter base in Sydney. His work in this posting was focused on the operations of the RAN's Fairmile B motor launches. Rex’s ‘Rushcutter’ sketches also feature members of the Women’s Royal Australian Navy (WRAN) going about their duties.

His style is distinct, with strong outlines and bold shading. Several of the Fairmile sketches were published in the Australasian newspaper.

Rex then travelled to New Guinea on board the corvette HMAS Lithgow and made a series of sketches during the voyage. These works were focused on the activities of the sailors, including while they were resting.

On 19 May 1944 Julius died at Milne Bay in the Territory of Papua as the result of a throat abscess and gangrene. He is buried at Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery.

Due to his short career as an official war artist and death at a young age, Rex’s work is not well known. Two of his paintings are in the Australian War Memorial's collection. The National Archives of Australia holds the sketchbooks from his period as an official war artist.

Visit the National Archives' Flickr page to view Rex Julius’s wartime sketchbooks and take a peek into the lives of our Second World War servicemen.