Studio portrait of 1359 Private (Pte) Richard Martin, an Aboriginal serviceman who served in the ...

Studio portrait of 1359 Private (Pte) Richard Martin, an Aboriginal serviceman who served in the 47th Battalion. Pte Martin of North Stradbroke Island is thought to have lied about his place of birth when he enlisted, possibly to avoid being rejected because of his colour. On his file held at the National Archives of Australia his place of birth is listed as Dunedin, New Zealand, however, his next of kin is listed as his brother, Mr M A Martin of Cleveland, Qld. Cleveland is just across the bay from North Stradbroke island. Pte Martin originally enlisted in the 15th Battalion on 17 December 1914 and served with this unit at Gallipoli but was transferred to the 47th Battalion when the Army was expanded in early 1916. Pte Martin embarked from Alexandria on 14 June 1916 bound for Marseilles. In three years of fighting on the Western Front he was wounded in action three times; evacuated suffering shell shock on 10 August 1916, returning to his unit four days later, wounded in action in Belgium on 7 June 1917 and again on 11 October 1917. He was killed in action on 28 March 1918.