| Accession Number | P05417.003 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Allenby |
| Place made | British Mandate of Palestine: Tel Aviv |
| Date made | 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal portrait of three couples, all from Western Australia, enjoying a day out in Tel Aviv. ...
Description
Informal portrait of three couples, all from Western Australia, enjoying a day out in Tel Aviv. The women are all members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) and were attached to the 2/9th Australian General Hospital, and the men were all members of the 2/16th Battalion.
Identified, left to right:
WFX17017 Private (Pte) Margaret Norah (Margie) Bolton and WX8095 Corporal (Cpl) James Andrew (Jimmy) Stark;
WFX17018 Pte Betty Dettman and WX1599 Captain (Cpt) Breton Douglas Norman (Bret) Langridge;
WFX17019 Pte Yvonne Marcelline Marie 'Dickie' Antoine and WX3093 Second Lieutenant (2lt) Ronald Henry Christian.
Pte Dettman and Capt Langridge met while they were serving in the Middle East. They were engaged in May, 1942, with the proposal and acceptance happening via cable. Capt Langridge was killed in action on 8 September 1942, aged 23, leading an attack against the Japanese during the vicious fighting at Brigade Hill, on the Kokoda Trial, in Papua.
Pte Antoine and 2lt Christian were engaged in 1940 before both were posted to the Middle East. They married on 26 February 1943, spending a brief period of leave in Australia, and then returned to service with their respective units. 2lt Christian was awarded the Military Cross in 1943, for his 'courage and initiative' at Isurava on 29 August 1942 and 30 August 1942. He was also awarded the bar to the Military Cross in 1945 for 'conspicuous bravery and leadership' in Balikpapan on 1 July 1945.