Informal portrait of Sergeant (Sgt) Ronald Henry Stewart Chatto, 7th Field Company Engineers. A ...

Place Europe: France
Accession Number P01821.004
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white - Photomechanical print
Place made France
Date made c 1917
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Informal portrait of Sergeant (Sgt) Ronald Henry Stewart Chatto, 7th Field Company Engineers. A clerk from St Peters, NSW prior to enlistment, Sgt Chatto embarked with the rank of Private from Sydney on HMAT Suffolk on 22 December 1915. Whilst serving in France he was promoted to Sergeant and was Mentioned in Despatches and later awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the citation for which reads in part "For most conspicuous devotion to duty on many occasions....often working through long periods without sleep. During nearly three years of service he has always set a splendid example to his comrades." Sgt Chatto returned to Australia on 10 April 1919. After the War he wrote a history of his unit titled "The Seventh Company Field Engineers AIF 1915-1918" which is held by the AWM.