Warfusee-Abancourt, France. Lieutenant Rupert Frederick Arding Downes MC addressing his Platoon ...

Warfusee-Abancourt, France. Lieutenant Rupert Frederick Arding Downes MC addressing his Platoon from B Company, 29th Battalion, during a rest near the villages of Warfusee and Lamotte before the advance onto Harbonnieres, the battalion's second objective. The background is obscured by the smoke of heavy shellfire. Pictured, left to right: 5085 Sergeant (Sgt) William Patrick O'Brien; 4271 Private (Pte) James Cryer; 4103 Pte Charles Alfred Olive; 677 Lance Corporal (L Cpl) Louis Price MM; 5095 Pte Harry James Phillips; 4733 Pte Horace Joseph Buckley; 509 L Cpl Alexander Bethuen Craven; 5088 Pte Patrick O'Grady; 5057 Pte Timothy Leyden; 5116 Pte Edward Thomlinson; 5014 Pte Herbert Davidson; 6827 Pte Horace John Towers; 4349 L Cpl Thomas John Barrett Pope; 2568 Pte John Leslie Gordon Arlow; 3207 L Cpl John Bird; 560 Pte Frederick George Hall (front of line); Lieutenant R. F. A. Downes MC (right). Note: Sgt O'Brien, of Gordon, Vic, a schoolteacher in civilian life, was killed in action on 9 August 1918; Pte Cryer was born at Bury, Lancashire, a farmer when he enlisted at Armidale, NSW, later transferring to the 32nd Battalion; Pte Olive of Lara, Vic, initially rejected before enlisting in September 1916, was killed in action near Bellicourt on 30 September 1918; L Cpl Price MM of Maryborough, Vic, an original member of B company, was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in Belgium in 1917, and later transferred to the 32nd Battalion; Pte Phillips, a packer in civilian life, the youngest in the platoon at nineteen years of age, was wounded on 29 August 1918, returning to Australia in December 1918; Pte Buckley, a clerk of Kyneton, Vic, was wounded in action on 9 August 1918, later transferring to the 32nd Battalion where his frequent periods of absenteeism continued; L Cpl Craven, a labourer of Ballarat, Vic, served three years with the battalion before transferring to the 32nd Battalion; Pte O'Grady of Galway, Ireland was employed as a miller in Melbourne, Vic, before enlistment and he also transferred to the 32nd Battalion; Pte Leyden of Trentham, Vic, a railway employee in civilian life, was gassed on 27 August 1918, transferring to the 5th Battalion on 22 November 1918; Pte Thomlinson a driver of Stawell, Vic, the oldest member of the platoon at forty four years of age, was taken on strength with the battalion on 6 June 1918, later transferring to the 32nd Battalion, as did Pte Davidson, a leather worker of Brunswick, Vic; Pte Towers a farm labourer of Cootamundra, NSW, later transferred to the 32nd Battalion, and was admitted to the Abbeville Hospital on 9 November 1918 suffering broncho-pneumonia where he died on 11 November 1918; L Cpl Pope, born at Westbury-on-Tyne, Gloucestershire, a farmer of Sydney, NSW, was wounded in action on 30 September 1918; Pte Arlow of Warrnambool, Vic, a blacksmith in civilian life, was killed in action near Bellicourt on 30 September 1918; L Cpl Bird, a carpenter of South Melbourne, Vic, later transferred to the 32nd Battalion; Pte Hall, an iron moulder of South Melbourne, Vic, an original member of B company, was wounded in action twice. Lieutenant Downes MC of Camden, NSW, was an orchardist prior to enlistment, sailed as a second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant in May 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty" at Morlancourt in July 1918 and like most of his men was transferred to the 32nd Battalion with the reorganisation of battalions which took place in 1918.