The ANZACs together
My grandfather served in the Wellington Mounted Rifles during the First World War. In 1915, he was stationed in Madras and on Lemnos—both important supply and recovery areas for the Gallipoli campaign—and later served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Egypt from 1915 to 1918. Below are some photos from that time.
I've always loved the first photo of Gtandad from 1915. He looks so young—like many others his age, he enlisted underage. In fact, my Uncle told me he turned 18 while on Lemnos.
While restoring these photos recently, I noticed something fascinating in one showing Grandad seated drinking with mates in Cairo. The man to the left of the photo is wearing an unusual uniform—note the triangle on his shoulder. After some Googling, we discovered he was a member of the Australian 27th Battalion, part of the 7th Brigade in the Second Division. The 27th was raised in South Australia and served in Egypt and at Gallipoli.
A wonderful reminder of the spirit of ANZAC Day.