Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Studio portrait of Lieutenant Frederick Theodore Petersen MC, 1st Field Company, Australian Engineers. Lt Petersen, (also known as Peterson) was an architect from Armadale, Vic prior to enlistment, and was already serving with the 7th Field Company when he embarked with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant with the No 1 Special Draft, Australian Flying Corps from Melbourne on SS Indarra on 26 November 1917. Initially transferring to the 39th Battalion, he later transferred to 1st Field Company where he was awarded the Military Cross. The citation for this reads "Near Chuignes on 23rd August 1918 2/Lieut Peterson led a section of Engineers with the advancing infantry. He pushed forward of the attacking infantry under heavy fire and located the objectives. He then organised his party on consolidation work and owing to his personal boldness and excellent leadership the construction of several posts was commenced directly on the arrival of our attacking troops. By his promptness and bravery he rendered great service in this operation". Subsequently promoted to Lieutenant, he was killed in action on 1 September 1918, aged 24 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 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.