Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Studio portrait of Cedric Johnston, believed to be 1018 Private (Pte) Cedric Johnson, 13th Light Horse Regiment from Avoca, Victoria. An 18 year old farmer prior to enlisting on 6 July 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 4th Reinforcements from Melbourne on 27 September 1915 aboard HMAT Hororata (A20). After arriving in Egypt, he transferred to the 4th Australian Divisional Base Depot and went with them to France in June 1916. Pte Johnson went on to serve on the Western Front with the 4th ANZAC Light Horse Regiment and the 13th Light Horse Regiment. He was wounded in action (gassed) on 12 October 1918 and spent three weeks in hospital. However he also had an extensive disciplinary record and was charged with offences on nine separate occasions and faced a Court Martial on six occasions. Pte Johnson arrived back in Australia on 12 November 1919. [See also image DASEY 1964.] 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.