The First Momentos

The Main Guard under the command of Corporal Keogh

Often the first commemoration was supplied by the soldier himself to his family. Individual portraits and photos similar to this were send to family as a memento of their training.

 Similar mementos followed in the form of photos, small items and postcards arriving from locations where the soldiers were stationed, billeted or staged prior to heading to the front line.  Often also these things were sent to family and friends by the soldiers when on leave.

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Private Archibald Charles Summers

Archibald Charles Summers:


born 10th Oct 1899 at Campbell Town, Tasmania
enlisted 15th Apr 1918 at Launceston, Tasmania
embarked 17th Jul 1918 from Sydney aboard HMAT Borda (A30)
disembarked 25th Sep 1918 in London
allocated to 1st Training Btn, allotted to 12th Btn while training but war finished before he completed his training
re-embarked 12th Apr 1919 per Suffolk in London
arrived Austalia 5th Jun 1919
discharged from army 10 Oct 1919 in 3rd military district (Vict)






These photos of were taken between April and August 1918 at Claremont Training Camp. They are from a box of glass plate negatives (5" by 7") taken by a local photographer who often travelled to the camp to provide a service to the soldiers.

 The negatives now belong to  Mr John Trethewey who purchased them when the contents of the photographic studio were auctioned. I am currently digitizing parts of his collection and have been given permission to use some images