Outdoor portrait of a group of three allied Prisoners of War (POW) at Schneidemuhl POW camp in ...

Outdoor portrait of a group of three allied Prisoners of War (POW) at Schneidemuhl POW camp in Posen, Germany dressed in large fur coats. Identified standing in the centre is 4854 Private (Pte) Robert Montgomery, 55th Battalion, from Auburn, NSW who enlisted on 23 September 1915 at the age of 34 and embarked for overseas on 8 March 1916 aboard HMAT Star of England. He was captured at Fleurbaix, France, on 20 July 1916 and held as a POW in various camps in Germany. While at Schneidemuhl, he wrote on 8 January 1918 'My back is still troubling me. Personally I believe I am suffering from lumbago. The winter here this year does not appear to be so severe as the last, but still quite cold enough for any Australians. We held successful concerts for both Christmas and the New Year and I believe they will be continued throughout the winter. They will relieve the general monotony of camp life.' Pte Montgomery was repatriated to England on 1 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 4 March 1919. One of a series of over 80 photographs of Allied POWs in the camp at Schneidemuhl, given to 3235 Corporal (Cpl) James Skelly, 55th Battalion, from Rockdale, NSW, by fellow POWs as a souvenir of their time together. Cpl Skelly was a self-described 'special correspondent' for the Australian Red Cross while at Schneidemuhl and originally donated these photographs to the Ramsgate RSL. The original is stored in the AWM archive store.