Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives Accession Number: DA13641

Description

Studio portrait of V Dyer, possibly 4776 Private (Pte) Leonard Victor Dyer (standing) and 4761 Pte Virgil Creati. Pte Dyer, a butcher from Ballarat, Victoria prior to enlistment, and Pte Creati, a sawyer from Ballarat East Victoria prior to enlistment, both embarked with the 15th Reinforcements, 8th Battalion from Melbourne on HMAT Wiltshire on 7 March 1916. Pte Dyer later transferred to the 58th Battalion and was wounded in the left leg and evacuated to England. After recovering he re-joined his battalion and was again evacuated to England suffering from a septic foot. After re-joining his battalion he was hospitalized suffering from an undisclosed illness. Subsequently serving with the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion he returned to Australia on 20 May 1919. Pte Creati also transferred to the 58th Battalion and was invalided to England suffering from trench feet. After re-joining his unit he was again invalided to England after accidently crushing his foot. Subsequently re-joining his battalion in France he returned to Australia on 8 May 1919. This is one of a series of photographs taken by the Darge Photographic Company which had a permit to take photographs at the Broadmeadows and Seymour army camps during the First World War. In the 1930s, the Australian War Memorial purchased the original glass negatives from Algernon Darge, along with the photographers’ notebooks. The notebooks contain brief details, usually a surname or unit name, for each negative.

Details

Conflicts

• First World War, 1914-1918

Events

• Battle of Hamel