Collection relating to the service of 245 Herbert Horner

Accession Number H13917
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white - Print silver gelatin
Place made Belgium: Flanders, Oost-Vlaanderen, Oudenaarde
Date made 18 September 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

Group portrait of Allied prisoners of war (POW) at Audenarde (Oudenaarde), POW work camp in Belgium. The man kneeling second from the left has been identified as 245 Private (Pte) Herbert Horner, 3rd Machine Gun Company, from East Wagin, Western Australia. He was a 41 year old farmer when he enlisted on 24 February 1916 and embarked for overseas with the 4th Machine Gun Company from Fremantle, Western Australia on 18 July 1916 aboard HMAT Seang Bee. While serving with the 3rd Machine Gun Company in France, he was captured at Langicourt, France on 15 April 1917 and held as a POW in Limburg, Gustrow and Friedrichsfeld POW camps in Germany. Pte Horner was repatriated to England on 30 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 31 May 1919. A German guard affectionately known as 'Fatty' is second from left, second row.