| Accession Number | P06303.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Maker |
Bennett, Bullford & Durrington Camp Studios |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Wiltshire, Salisbury Plain |
| Date made | c November 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 540A Private (Pte) Leslie George Bursill of Marybrough, Vic. A labourer before ...
Description
Studio portrait of 540A Private (Pte) Leslie George Bursill of Marybrough, Vic. A labourer before enlisting in May 1916, Pte Bursill formed part of the 4th Reinforcements of the 2nd ANZAC Cyclist Battalion before being transferred to reinforce the 5th Battalion in January 1917. Pte Bursill took part in a four-man reconnaissance patrol of the German positions at Strazeele near Hazebrouck on the morning of 16 June 1918, dressed in captured German uniform and equipment. He was seen to have taken cover in a shell hole close to the German lines once the patrol was discovered, and drew heavy grenade and machine-gun fire. Despite attempts to rescue the raiders from No Man's Land, Pte Bursill was never seen again, leaving behind a wife and a newly born daughter whom he never met.