Fernglas 08, Military Galilean binoculars : Corporal L D Price, 2 Light Horse Field Ambulance, AIF

Pair of Fernglass 08, Military, Galilean binoculars. The body is manufactured from cast white metal including two strap holders and it is finished in a grey paint scheme. There are two adjustable, green Bakelite eye pieces and each lens can be individually tuned for focus. The binoculars pivot on two centrally fitted hinges, one of which is lockable. Most of the paint has been worn off with use, exposing the white metal cast body and the two brass lens rings. Comes with a leather carry strap and metallic cover for the eye pieces threaded through the strap.

Type of binoculars used by Imperial Germany during the First World War. They were collected by Lewis David Price during his service in the Middle East. A native of Goodna in Queensland, Price was born in January 1896. Before the First World War he did a year of militia service with 11 Infantry Regiment and then enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 2 November 1914 with the service number 494. He was attached to the 2 Light Horse Field Ambulance and landed on Gallipoli in May 1915. On 14 December he was evacuated with frostbite a week before the general evacuation. He soon rejoined his unit and served in Egypt and Palestine until the end of the war. He left Suez for home leave in November 1918 and was discharged 26 February 1919. By the time of his discharge he was a corporal and had been Mentioned in Despatches. Between the wars Price worked with the Department of Defence as a storeman. In the late 1930s he joined the Commonwealth Military Forces and was part of the Australian Coronation Contingent, which travelled to England, via Egypt, for the 1937 Coronation of King George VI. Price was one of the Australians who suggested that Dominion soldiers participate in a 24 hour guard at Buckingham Palace and proudly took his turn as King's Guardsman. Upon his return to Australia, he was posted to Darwin with the Australian Army Ordnance Corps (AAOC) from 1938-1940. On 19th June he enlisted in the Second AIF and was assigned the service number DX564. In October that year he embarked for service in the Middle East. He served in North Africa, Palestine and Syria with 7 Division Headquarters, on the staff of Major General Lavarack. He returned to Australia in March 1942 and continued serving with the AAOC in the Northern Territory with the Darwin Mobile Force and was in command of 2 Base Ammunition Depot. During his service he was promoted lieutenant in August 1941, captain in September 1942 and major in May 1944. He was discharged on 30 June 1948. Price was part of the Gallipoli Contingent of 1965.