Photographic montage with studio portraits of five members of the Crowley family of West Wyalong, ...

Photographic montage with studio portraits of five members of the Crowley family of West Wyalong, NSW. Five portraits are accompanied by the text 'Fighting for the flag!'. Identified are 2917 Private (Pte) John Nicholas Crowley, 34th Battalion, (centre); and his sons 1425 Trooper (Tpr) John Nichols Crowley, 1st King Edward's Horse, British Army (upper left); and 2626 (later 2626A) Pte Reginald Baden Crowley, 56th Battalion (later 34th Battalion) (upper right). The other two men are probably another of Pte John Crowley's sons, 1669 Pte Oswald James (Ossie) Crowley, 18th Battalion; and his brother, 839 Matthew Nicholas Crowley, 13th Battalion, of Temora, NSW. Pte John Crowley was a journalist and editor of the Wyalong Star newspaper, as well as having been a Justice of the Peace, Coroner of Wyalong District, and rifle shooting champion of the Southern District of New South Wales. He enlisted on 16 November 1916, and embarked from Sydney on HMAT Beltana on 25 November 1916 with the 6th Reinforcements. He was killed in action on 12 October 1917 when he was hit by a shell on Passchendaele Ridge. He was 52 years old; he had under-stated his age on enlistment. Three of Pte John Crowley's sons enlisted and also served in France: Pte Reginald Crowley was a student before enlisting on 22 May 1916. He embarked from Sydney on HMAT Ceramic on 7 October 1916 with the 6th Reinforcements, 56th Battalion, and was transferred to the 34th Battalion, his father's battalion, on 13 April 1917. He was killed in action on 4 April 1918, being shot with a revolver at close range by a German officer while attacking at Hangard Wood, near Villers-Bretonneux. At the time of his death he was 18 years old, having over-stated his age on enlistment. Tpr John Nichols Crowley served with a British cavalry regiment and was repatriated to Australia in 1919. Pte Oswald Crowley, a butcher prior to enlisting on 20 May 1915, embarked from Sydney on HMAT Kanowna with the 2nd Reinforcements of the 18th Battalion; he returned to Australia on 9 March 1919. Pte John Crowley's brother, Matthew Crowley, was a labourer before enlisting on 8 September 1914. He embarked from Melbourne on 22 December 1914 on HMAT Ulysses with H Company, 13th Battalion. He was wounded at Dead Man's Ridge, Gallipoli, on 2 May 1915, was evacuated on the HS Gascon. He died of his wounds at sea on 6 May 1915, at the age of 37.

• Two studio portraits of 2917 Private (Pte) John Nicholas Crowley, 34th Battalion, (left); and his ...
• Studio portrait of 2917 Private (Pte) John Nicholas Crowley, 34th Battalion of West Wyalong, NSW. ...
• Informal portrait of 2626 (later 2626A) Private (Pte) Reginald Baden Crowley, 56th Battalion ...