| Accession Number | P09291.057 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Negative |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Portrait of 4733 Private (Pte) Roderick James Bell, 50th Battalion from McLaren Vale, South ...
Description
Portrait of 4733 Private (Pte) Roderick James Bell, 50th Battalion from McLaren Vale, South Australia. A 21 year old labourer prior to enlisting on 14 October 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 15th Reinforcements of the 10th Battalion from Adelaide on 9 March 1916 aboard RMS Mongolia. A week after arriving in Egypt in June 1916, he proceeded to France where he transferred to the 50th Battalion on 13 August 1916. Pte Bell was killed in action at Messines, Belgium on 11 June 1917 and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres, Belgium with others who have no known grave. His younger brother, 3365 Pte John Samuel Bell also served with the 50th Battalion and was killed in action at Passchendaele, Belgium on 26 September 1917 and is buried in the Buttes New British Cemetery, Zonnebeke, Belgium. [See image P09291.058.]