Donkey's sun visor : Private E C Smart, 22 Battalion, AIF

Quilted cotton sun visor for a donkey lined with woven rattan and newspaper. The visor is constructed in two sections which are held together at the animal's poll by string, and sewn together with cotton tapes where the visor fits underneath the base of the donkey's ears. The tapes extend in two loose ends on either side so that the visor can be tied to the animal's headcollar. The front and back edges of the visor are curved while the upper edges of the sections are cut in an exaggerated serpentine shape to accommodate the ears.

This donkey's sun visor, worn by an animal on Gallipoli, was brought back to Australia as a curiosity and souvenir of his service there by 461 Lance Sergeant Ernest Charles Smart, of 22 Battalion, AIF. Born in 1890 in Victoria, Smart, then a wood machinist living at St Kilda, enlisted as a private on 15 February 1915. He was assigned to B Company, 22 Battalion in April 1915 and sailed for overseas service aboard HMAT A3 Ulysses on 10 May. After the Gallipoli campaign Smart moved with his battalion to France, where he survived the following three years without wounds or sickness. He was mentioned in despatches for 'good and gallant conduct in recent hard fighting round Pozieres' in 1916, and was promoted to lance sergeant in January 1917. Smart returned to Australia in March 1919. During the Second World War he served again, with the service number V82247, as a Warrant Officer Class I in Victorian Lines of Communication between December 1939 and August 1945.