Studio portrait of 507 Private (Pte) James Cullin Gaffney, 8th Reinforcements, 8th Machine Gun ...

Studio portrait of 507 Private (Pte) James Cullin Gaffney, 8th Reinforcements, 8th Machine Gun Battalion, of Hynam, SA (left), and 1362 2nd Air Mechanic John Henry Arthur (Jack) Treacy, 4th Reinforcements, 2nd Australian Flying Squadron, of Adelong, NSW, dressed as a private sitting behind a machine gun. Prior to enlisting in the AIF on 20 May 1916, Pte Gaffney served with the 71st Infantry, Citizens Military Forces. He embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Medic on 16 December 1916. Whilst serving with the 5th Machine Gun Battalion, he was awarded the Military Medal (MM) on 10 October 1919 for his actions in the Division’s capture of Peronne, in September 1918. Prior to enlistment in the AFC on 3 July 1919, Jack Treacy was an apprenticed mechanical engineer with a Sydney company. He embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Orsova on 6 December 1916. He was posted to England attached to the Royal Flying Corps in their mobile workshop as a mechanic. Three months later he transferred to the cadet school at Reading and trained as a pilot. He was then posted to 66 Squadron training school, where after flying several of their fighting machines for a very limited number of hours, he was presented with his RFC wings, a log book and posted to France. Treacy was posted to 3 Squadron performing reconnaissance work. He quickly built up flying hours on bombing, reconnaissance and aerial photography missions and was promoted to Lieutenant and then Captain. On 22 April 1918, Captain Treacy acted as pall bearer at the funeral of Baron von Richthofen. Shortly before the end of the war, Captain Treacy returned to England as a ferry pilot. He returned to Australia in December 1919 with his new wife, where he pursued a career in commercial flying.