Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum > Records

First World War Photograph of Australian Soldiers (ANMEF) in Rabaul, 1914

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Pte. Eric BANNISTER

c. 1914

Overview

Black and white photograph showing a group of eleven (11) Australian soldiers, they are standing & seated on/near building stairs. A blue ink "x" next to a soldier standing top left, indicates Pte. Eric BANNISTER. He has a smoke in his mouth, his right hand is held in a makeshift sling and he is holding a cup in his left hand.

Historical information

This series of black & white photographs was collected by Private Eric Sydney BANNISTER, regimental 19. He joined the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) on the 11th August 1914, just a week after war was declared on Germany. The mission of the ANMEF was to destroy German radio stations and occupy German New Guinea and surrounding areas. The ANMEF secured military occupation on the 13th September 1914. The photographs of his deployment are of national significance and show one of Australia’s first military action in the First World War.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-12-2018.3.10

Item type

Photographs

Themes

Buildings > Military

War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Photographic Paper

Width

140 mm

Height or length

89 mm

Weight

4 g

Inscriptions and markings

Handwritten on rear, in pencil. "in New Brition", and in black ink "Rabaul / 1914".

Contextual information

This First World War photograph shows a group of eleven (11) ANMEF soldiers standing & seated outside on/near building steps. Pte. Eric BANNISTER is the soldier standing on the steps top left, and has his right arm in a sling. As indicated on the rear of the photograph it was taken in Rabaul, dated 1914.

Keywords

1st World War

Australian Naval and Military Expedition Force

First World War

Rabaul

New Guinea

Place made

Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

Year

c. 1914

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance