| Accession Number | P07286.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Guilleminot, R |
| Place made | France: Paris |
| Date made | 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of three members of the 1st AIF on leave in Paris. Seated at front is 3961 ...
Description
Studio portrait of three members of the 1st AIF on leave in Paris. Seated at front is 3961 Private (Pte) Leonard Walter Wilkins, 22nd Battalion, of Launceston, Tasmania; on the left of the photograph is an unidentified Corporal, probably from a Second Division artillery unit; and on the right is an unidentified soldier from a medical unit, probably attached to 6th Brigade Headquarters. A labourer prior to enlistment, Pte Wilkins embarked from Melbourne with the 9th Reinforcements aboard HMAT Warilda on 8 February 1916. In March 1916 he embarked with his battalion for France, where they experienced their first service on the Western Front in reserve breastwork trenches near Fleurbaix. During the battalion's first major action at Pozieres in August 1916, Pte Wilkins was reported missing. A court of inquiry held the following year found that he had been killed in action on 5 August 1916, aged 26. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial, France.