Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Studio portrait of F J Kenealy, believed to be 1951 Acting Sergeant Francis James Kenealy 57th Battalion from Bunyip, Victoria. A 28 year old letter carrier prior to enlisting on 23 June 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 3rd Reinforcements from Melbourne on 8 July 1916 aboard HMAT Ajana (A31). Following further training in England, he proceeded to France in December 1916 and joined the 57th Battalion. After taking ill in May 1917, he was evacuated to England for medical treatment. In November he joined the Cadet School at Oxford for officer training. He was appointed a Second Lieutenant on 1 May 1918 and then returned to France to re-join the 57th Battalion. After being slightly wounded in action on 12 July, he was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 August and then wounded in action again on 8 August 1918. He remained with his unit on the Western Front until he returned to Australia arriving on 28 June 1919. [See also image DASEY1958.] This is one of a series of photographs taken by the Darge Photographic Company which had the 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.