| Accession Number | P09435.004 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Digital file TIFF |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Wiltshire, Salisbury Plain |
| Date made | 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal group portrait of, left to right, 1549 Private (Pte) William Roy Guest, 1st Pioneer ...
Description
Informal group portrait of, left to right, 1549 Private (Pte) William Roy Guest, 1st Pioneer Battalion, 'Tommy Metsite' and 'Bill Talbot' at Salisbury Plains. Pte Guest enlisted on 19 December 1914, claiming to be 19 years old but was actually 14 at the time. He embarked from Fremantle aboard HMAT Itonus (A50) with the 3rd reinforcements of the 11th Battalion on 22 February 1915. Pte transferred to the 1st Pioneer Battalion on 11 March 1916 and was wounded in action on 31 July 1916. After rejoining his Battalion, Pte Guest received the Belgian Croix de Guerre Medal on 5 October 1918. Pte Guest returned to Australia on 18 December 1918, going on to model for the Australian War Records Section Artist, Charles Gilbert. Guest went on to serve in the Second World War as a Warrant Officer (service number VX7412) with the 2/5th Battalion. 'Tommy Metsite' and 'Bill Talbot' cannot be further identified.