P02727.009 Accession Number: P02727.009

Description

Informal portrait of Salvation Army Minister, Red Shield War Representative and unofficial Padre, Major Arthur William 'Mac' McIlveen. His hand rests on the bonnet of a black Ford vehicle, belonging to Major Ward. Note the white stripes painted on the sides of the car, a precaution taken to ensure the vehicle is visible to pedestrians during black outs. McIlveen trained as a Salvation Army officer in Melbourne and tried to enlist as a Padre during the First World War but the Salvation Army refused to send him as his superiors considered him ‘too reckless’. Instead McIlveen enlisted as a private in the AIF on 9 July 1918 but it proved an anti-climax as he was still aboard the transport vessel SS Wyreema when the armistice was signed and he was sent home. During the Second World War, aged 54, he served as a Salvation Army Representative and an unofficial Padre attached to the 2/9th Battalion. At Tobruk, he was known for his fearlessness, taking news and any comforts he could find out to soldiers in the field. On his return from overseas service he served as a Salvation Army Prison Officer in NSW and he was made a Brigadier in 1938. He was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) on 10 June 1961, in 1967 he was admitted to the Order of the Founder, the Salvation Army's highest award, and was knighted for his services to ex-servicemen on 1 January 1970. Sir Arthur William McIlveen died on 1 May 1979 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, and was buried in Woronora cemetery with full military honours.

Details

Accession Number
P02727.009
Photographer
Unknown
Classification
Photograph
Object Type
Black & white - Print silver gelatin
Physical Description
Colour: Black & white
Date Made
c 1940
Place Made
Whole/Part
Whole
Item Count
1
Credit Line
Donor R Berry
Copyright
Copyright expired - public domain

Conflicts

Accession P02727.009

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Record information

Last modified: 1 May 2023 - 2.34 am