Balfe, Joseph Rupert (Lieutenant, b.1890 - d.1915)

Collection relating to the First World War service of Lieutenant Joseph Rupert Balfe, 6 Australian Infantry Battalion, at sea and Cairo, 1914 - 1915.

Wallet 1 of 2 contains 20 letters written from Lieutenant Balfe to his mother Sarah Balfe (nee Knott), 16 postcards and letters to other family members, largely his brother Francis 'Norm' Norman, and cousin Else, and a cloth bound compendium embossed with the words 'Rupert's letters', in which the letters were once kept. The letters describe in detail Balfe's experiences in camp in Melbourne, his voyage on HMAT Omrah, being on guard duty, recreation in Cairo including meeting nurses of the No. 1 Australian General Hospital, camp life at Camp Mena, and his embarkation to Anzac Cove.

Wallet 2 of 2 contains an autograph book embossed with the word 'album' on the cover, a diary kept daily by Balfe between October 1914 and April 1915, and a collection of ephemera, including menus, a business card, handwritten copies of poetry and lyrics, a list a photographs sent by Balfe, and a certificate of commission for Lieutenant Balfe to the temporary rank of Second Lieutenant. The diary contains entries relating to Balfe's embarkation on the HMAT Hororata (and subsequent transfer to HMAT Omrah), including descriptions of the weather during the voyage, and his duties on board, rough sketches of people, weapons, and geographic features, and the lectures and training he attended while on board. It also contains entries detailing Balfe's training, recreation, and tourist activities whilst in Cairo.

Lieutenant Joseph Rupert Balfe was a medical student who served for four years with the Melbourne University Rifles before joining the Australian Imperial Force. During the landing at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, Balfe was reported wounded and missing, and was later confirmed to have been killed in action.