Studio portrait of Captain (Capt) Julian Walter Richards MC, Commander, 1st Machine Gun Company, ...

Studio portrait of Captain (Capt) Julian Walter Richards MC, Commander, 1st Machine Gun Company, 4th Infantry Battalion from Vaucluse, NSW. A 19 year old student when he enlisted as a Private with No 2015 on 18 January 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 5th Reinforcements of the 4th Battalion from Sydney aboard HMAT Kyarra (A55) on 13 April 1915. While serving at Gallipoli, he was promoted to Corporal on 17 June, to Sergeant on 15 August and was appointed a Second Lieutenant on 7 October 1915. Back in Egypt, he was promoted to Lieutenant on 28 January 1916 and then proceeded to France in March where he was later promoted to Captain on 19 September and appointed in commander of the 1st Machine Gun Company on 28 December 1916. He was Mentioned in Despatches (MID) on two separate occasions in Sir Douglas Haig’s Despatches of 13 November 1916 and of 9 April 1917 for distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty while in the field. Capt Richards was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in action near Passchendaele, Belgium on 3 November 1917. During a heavy hostile bombardment on the Divisional front that took out the telephone lines, he twice went out and visited his guns personally assuring himself that they were alright and had sufficient supplies of ammunition. On his way back to his headquarters, he was wounded and had to be evacuated for medical treatment. He was sent to England and then back to Australia, arriving on 24 May 1918. He went on to serve in the Second World War as a Lieutenant Colonel until 30 April 1946.