| Accession Number | P10965.002 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Digital file TIFF |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | 1920 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 2341 Private (Pte) William Kearsey. Pte Kearsey was a 24 year old coach ...
Description
Studio portrait of 2341 Private (Pte) William Kearsey. Pte Kearsey was a 24 year old coach builder from Inverell, New South Wales, when he enlisted with the AIF. He had previously attempted to enlist but had been rejected due to poor vision in his left eye. He had this surgically corrected and successfully enlisted in April 1916 with the 33rd Battalion. Following a shell explosion in the Ypres area (somewhere between Potsdam pillbox and Ypres) on 3 October 1917, Kearsey lost a significant portion of his nose and forehead. He was admitted to Queen's Hospital in Sidcup, Kent UK, in November 1917 and underwent no less than 29 reconstructive operations during his 18 months there. He was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on 14 February 1921. See P10965.001 for a portrait of Pte Kearsey in 1916 before his facial injuries.