| Accession Number | P10885.006 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Western Front |
| Date made | c 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Outdoor portrait of 1010 Private (Pte) George Edgar Watkins, dressed ready to enter no man's ...
Description
Outdoor portrait of 1010 Private (Pte) George Edgar Watkins, dressed ready to enter no man's land. His equipment includes box repirator, revolver, prismatic compass and wire cutters. Watkin's writes "This is how we were equipped when going out on patrol in no man's land. The average distance between our line and the Germans was about 250 yards. During the night each patrol of about five men would spend two or three hours in no man's land, mainly to gain information and to prevent the enemy making a surprise attack on our front line. No man's land was by no means a health resort." Pte Watkins is standing in front of a brick wall which supports an espaliered fruit tree.
An image from the collection of 1010 Sergeant (Sgt) George Edgar Watkins DCM. Sgt Watkins, a painter from Blackburn, Victoria, enlisted on 10 February 1916. He served with the 39th Battalion throughout the war, as a Battalion scout in France and Belgium.