“Please send me some more snaps…”
For Gunditjmara brothers Private Henry “Harry” Saunders and Captain Reginald “Reg” Walter Saunders, printed photographs of loved ones were precious objects while they were serving a long way from home.
Younger brother Harry was born at Allansford, Victoria, on 13 May 1921, but he claimed to be older in order to volunteer for service in the Australian Army. He was accepted in May 1940 and allotted to the 2nd/14th Australian Infantry Battalion.
After serving the Middle East, Harry returned to Australia with his battalion at the end of January 1942 and underwent training in Yandina, Queensland. During leave in Adelaide, Harry met Dorothy Banfield. They corresponded while Harry’s battalion underwent training in Yandina, Queensland, and after the battalion was sent to Papua.
Harry wrote to Dorothy, “Please send me some more snaps of you … I never tire of looking at the ones I have.” [Letter No 4, undated].
Dorothy must have also asked Harry to send a photograph, as he responded in the same letter:
“I am very sorry dear I have no photos of myself at present I hate getting my photo taken at any time, but seeing the photo is for you I think I will be able to overcome my camera-shyness. I will try and get one to send to you next time I write. So when you get my photo you are going to wear it in a locket that’s very sweet of you Dorothy.”
After the 2/14th Battalion encountered Japanese forces at Isurava in August 1942, Harry (along with many other Australians) was separated from his unit and reported missing in action. He managed to reach friendly lines seven weeks later, exhausted and suffering from malaria.
In Harry’s last letter, dated 25 October 1942, he wrote:
“I lost my pack in action and it had your photos in it. You can imagine how I cursed … so you will have to send me some more as soon as you write.”
But Harry was killed in action only four weeks later.
In 1940, while Harry was serving in Palestine, Reg was also in Palestine serving with the 2nd/7th Battalion. The brothers were camped near each other and managed to spend some time together. In mid-1941, after the Germans had captured Crete, Reg was posted missing in action. Later, when Harry received news that Reg had survived and escaped Crete, he lent a photo of Reg to Dorothy, writing:
The last time I saw him was in Palestine … that’s when he gave me this photo … You will send this photo straight back won’t you Dorothy I would hate to lose it because it’s the only one I have of him.” [Letter No 4, undated]
Harry acknowledged the return of the photo in his letter dated 23 July 1942.
After Harry’s death, Reg was surprised to receive a letter from Dorothy, being unaware that Harry had a girlfriend. While on leave, Reg called on Dorothy. They were married in April 1944.
Reg also carried treasured photographs of his wife and family. In December 1951, Reg was serving with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, in South Korea when he wrote to Dorothy:
I have your photo in front of me now and also our babies’ photos, they are always in front of me, and you too Mrs Saunders.
Reg and Dorothy’s daughter, Glenda Humes, generously donated these letters, photographs and other papers to the Australian War Memorial. They have been digitised with funding provided by the Commonwealth Government. Images of the letters from Henry “Harry” Saunders to Miss Dorothy Banfield (1942) (PR6267) and the Papers relating to the military service of Reginald Walter “Reg” Saunders (1943-1975) (PR06266) are now freely available to view on the Memorial’s website.