Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Studio portrait of 1687 Private (Pte) James Alexander McDonald, 59th Battalion. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Pte McDonald was a carpenter from Melbourne, Victoria prior to enlistment and embarked with the 2nd Reinforcements from Melbourne on HMAT Port Lincoln on 4 May 1916. Later serving briefly with the 60th Battalion, he rejoined his original battalion and was wounded in action. On 6 October 1918 he succumbed to his wounds and was buried in the Tincourt New British Cemetery, France. 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 1930's, 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.