Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Portrait of R L Walton and A R Blayney, probably 6579 Private (Pte) Reginald Lewis Walton (right, 5' 4½") and 2745 Pte Arthur Noel Russell Blayney (left, 6' 4"). A school teacher from Stawell, Victoria, prior to enlistment, Pte Walton embarked from Melbourne with the 21st Reinforcements, 6th Battalion aboard HMAT Nestor (A71) on 2 October 1916. During his service Walton was promoted to Corporal. He suffered from many illnesses during his service and returned to Australia on 21 April 1918 suffering from trench nephritis. A clerk from Sandringham, Victoria, prior to enlistment, Pte Blayney embarked with the 6th Reinforcements, 58th Battalion also aboard HMAT Nestor on 2 October 1916. During his service Blayney was promoted to Lance Sergeant. He was killed in action at Polygon Wood, Belgium on 26 September 1917. This is one of a series of photographs taken by the Darge Photographic Company which had a concession to take photographs at the Broadmeadows and Seymour army camps during the First World War. In the 1930s, the Australian War Memorial purchased the original glass negatives from Algernon Darge, along with the photographers' notebooks. The notebooks contain brief details, usually a surname or unit name, for each negative. The names are transcribed as they appear in the notebooks. See also P05413.010 for a portrait of Blayney.