First World War Photograph of a Group of Australian Nurses & Soldiers at No 3 Auxiliary Hospital, Cairo

c. 1915
Overview

Small black and white photograph of 4 nurses and a group of Australian soldiers standing outside the No 3 Auxiliary Depot, 1st Australian General Hospital. A truck is on the right, with another nurse, back to camera walking towards group. Two of the nurses are holding umbrellas and the soldier to the left has a walking stick and smoking a pipe. The sign hanging from the verandah reads, "No. 3 Auxiliary Convalescent Depot / 1st A.G.H."

Historical information

This series of black & white photographs was collected by Private Eric Sydney BANNISTER, regimental number 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 are from two areas of Australian military deployment during the First World War. Ten (10) are from a deployment to German colony of New Guinea in 1914 and another eighty (80) from Cairo dated 1915 and 1916.The photographs of his deployment are of national significance and show one of Australia’s first military action in the First World War.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-12-2018.3.60
Item type
Photographs
Material
Photo Paper
Height or length
109 mm
Depth
67 mm
Weight
1 g
Inscriptions and markings

The sign hanging from the verandah reads, "No. 3 Auxiliary Convalescent Depot / 1st A.G.H." Handwritten in black ink on rear, "Convalesents ready for / Australia -".

Contextual information

The No.3 Auxiliary Convalescent Hospital was opened June 10, 1915 and closed 1 July 1916. Initially established at the Heliopolis Sporting Club, with additional tents set up near the Heliopolis Palace Hotel, site of the 1st Australian General Hospital. The auxiliary hospitals were setup to take the overflow from the main hospitals, due to the increased numbers of wounded and sick men from the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Place made
Cairo, Egypt
Year
Primary significance criteria
Historic significance
Scientific or research significance
Social or spiritual significance
Comparative significance criteria
Interpretive capacity
Rare or representative
Well provenanced
Google Maps search term / URL
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gWHZtRH1mm24SAjK8
Last modified
Monday, 21 September, 2026
Completeness
100
Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum

Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum

Nurses and soldiers outside the No. 3 Auxiliary Convalescent Hospital.
Nurses and soldiers outside the No. 3 Auxiliary Convalescent Hospital.
Rear view showing inscription.
Rear view showing inscription.

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