Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Studio portrait of 3874 Private (Pte) James James. A cook from Melbourne, Victoria prior to enlistment, Pte James had previously been rejected as unable to meet the height specifications. Following a relaxation of the requirements he successfully enlisted and embarked for overseas service with the 12th Reinforcements, 5th Battalion on HMAT Ceramic on 23 November 1915. Later transferring to the 4th Division Headquarters he was evacuated to England suffering from septic feet and bronchitis. Whilst there he took the opportunity to get married and returned to Australia with his wife on 25 July 1919. This is one of a series of photographs taken by the Darge Photographic Company which had a permit 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.