Boswell was in Iraq with the R.A.M.C. from 1942-1943. His battalion never saw action and time hung heavy for the troops but Boswell used it to paint desert scenes, make lively drawings of the camp, the Squaddies and the Waddies. He also gave vent to his rage at the horror and waste of war in a remarkable set of Goyaesque satirical drawings which have a particular resonance today.