Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Studio portrait of 1374 Private (Pte) Richard Dwight. Originally from London, England, Pte Dwight was a labourer from Sunshine, WA prior to enlistment and embarked with the 1st Reinforcements, 29th Battalion from Melbourne on HMAT Ascanius on 10th November 1915. Later transferring to the 5th Pioneer Battalion he was wounded in the right leg and left arm and evacuated to England. He subsequently suffered from otitis media and returned to Australia on 20 October 1918. Still suffering from the effects of his illness he was admitted to Austin Hospital where, on 11 August 1920, he succumbed to his illnesses and was buried in the Footscray Cemetery. 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.