| Accession Number | E04062 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Glass original whole plate negative |
| Maker |
Unknown Australian Official Photographer |
| Place made | Belgium: Wallonie, Hainaut, Chatelet |
| Date made | 4 January 1919 |
| Conflict |
Period 1910-1919 First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Outdoor group portrait of four officers of the 3rd Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery. Seated ...
Description
Outdoor group portrait of four officers of the 3rd Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery. Seated in the front is Captain Alan John Newlands MC from Croydon, South Australia, the son of Senator Sir John Newlands. A 25 year old civil servant prior to enlisting on 19 August 1914, he embarked for overseas as a Sergeant (service number 124) with the 10th Battalion from Adelaide on 20 October 1914 aboard HMAT Ascanius. After serving at Gallipoli, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in March 1916 and transferred to the 3rd Brigade Trench Mortar Battery in Egypt in April 1916. While serving with that unit on the Western Front, he was promoted to Lieutenant in June 1916 and then made a Temporary Captain in February 1917. While Commander of the battery, he was awarded a Military Cross (MC) for courage particularly in operations at Bullecourt, France in April and May 1917 and at Glencorse Wood, Belgium in September 1917. He was wounded in action in May 1917 and evacuated to England for medical treatment. After returning to his unit in France, he was confirmed in the rank of Captain on 22 December 1918. Captain Newlands left England to return to Australia on 6 September 1920 and his appointment in the AIF was terminated on 29 January 1921. The other officers in the group are unidentified.