Photograph Album. - PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY AN ANZAC FORCES MEMBER
During the Mediterranean Expeditionary Forces in World War 1
In the Middle Eastern Theatre in Eygpt, Palestine and Syria
The photograph album consists of padded blue cloth with a Japanese style illustrations on both covers and is tied with cord. There are 24 leaves in the album, most with tissue guards, with 106 sepia toned photographs (60 x100 mm) pasted down, usually 4 on each page. Each photograph has a handwritten caption below it in white ink – mainly undated. The photographs are in very good condition.
The inscription on the front paste down end paper of the album reads: These photos were taken by me whilst on active service 1914 -1918 with the ANZAC Division Australian Imperial Forces with the exception of those marked X which I managed to secure in German Aerodromes. J. J. Retief 1313. He signs his service number as 1313, but the official attestation paper gives this number as 1319.
Contents include:
Images of Turkish and German prisoners
Australian Boats torpedoed outside Port Said
Bringing down a German plane at Ludo
Big guns at Gaza
Our horses bombed at Jaffa by the German planes
Aussies at the Sea of Gallilee
Dredging the Suez Canal
Aussies crossing River Jordan
Aussies nearing Jerusalem
Raising of ANZAC
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was raised on 24 November 1914. At the time, the first contingent of soldiers from the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force were sailing towards Europe. 'ANZAC' was needed to shorten the 'Australian and New Zealand Army Corps' in Defence correspondence. The term quickly became an everyday word: 'Anzac'.
On 3 December 1914, the troops disembarked in Alexandria, Egypt. Then they were transported to military camps near Cairo where they would spend the Northern Hemisphere winter in training.
General William Birdwood was appointed by the British Army to command the ANZACs. Birdwood arrived in Cairo on 21 December 1914.
During the war, the Anzacs were wholly under British senior command as part of the: Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in the Middle Eastern theatre (Gallipoli, Egypt, Palestine, Syria) British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France. Throughout the war, particularly behind the lines, Australian troops could be identified by their distinctive slouch hats. The New Zealand 'lemon squeezer' hat also revealed its wearer's nationality.
An Order of Battle generally shows the organisation, command structure, number of personnel, and equipment of units in an armed force. In 1915, the Order of Battle for the ANZAC units looked quite different from how it looked at the end of the war.
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/australian-imperial-force/australian-and-new-zealand-army-corps
John James Retief
Service number: 1319
RETIEF John James : Service Number - 1319 : Place Of Birth - Tulbagh South Africa : Place Of Enlistment - Fraser Hill QLD : Next Of Kin - (Wife) RETIEF Elizabeth RETIEF John James : Service Number - 1319 : Place of Birth - Tulbage South Africa : Place of Enlistment - Fraser Hill QLD : Next of Kin - (Wife) RETIEF Elizabeth. Series number: B2455, Control symbol: RETIEF JOHN JAMES
https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/Search/General?query=retief
A copy of his official attestation paper traced online at the National Archives of Australia is loosely included with this album.
Overall Condition: Very Good Size: oblong 4to (220 x300mm)
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During the Mediterranean Expeditionary Forces in World War 1
In the Middle Eastern Theatre in Eygpt, Palestine and Syria
The photograph album consists of padded blue cloth with a Japanese style illustrations on both covers and is tied with cord. There are 24 leaves in the album, most with tissue guards, with 106 sepia toned photographs (60 x100 mm) pasted down, usually 4 on each page. Each photograph has a handwritten caption below it in white ink – mainly undated. The photographs are in very good condition.
The inscription on the front paste down end paper of the album reads: These photos were taken by me whilst on active service 1914 -1918 with the ANZAC Division Australian Imperial Forces with the exception of those marked X which I managed to secure in German Aerodromes. J. J. Retief 1313. He signs his service number as 1313, but the official attestation paper gives this number as 1319.
Contents include:
Images of Turkish and German prisoners
Australian Boats torpedoed outside Port Said
Bringing down a German plane at Ludo
Big guns at Gaza
Our horses bombed at Jaffa by the German planes
Aussies at the Sea of Gallilee
Dredging the Suez Canal
Aussies crossing River Jordan
Aussies nearing Jerusalem
Raising of ANZAC
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was raised on 24 November 1914. At the time, the first contingent of soldiers from the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force were sailing towards Europe. 'ANZAC' was needed to shorten the 'Australian and New Zealand Army Corps' in Defence correspondence. The term quickly became an everyday word: 'Anzac'.
On 3 December 1914, the troops disembarked in Alexandria, Egypt. Then they were transported to military camps near Cairo where they would spend the Northern Hemisphere winter in training.
General William Birdwood was appointed by the British Army to command the ANZACs. Birdwood arrived in Cairo on 21 December 1914.
During the war, the Anzacs were wholly under British senior command as part of the: Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in the Middle Eastern theatre (Gallipoli, Egypt, Palestine, Syria) British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France. Throughout the war, particularly behind the lines, Australian troops could be identified by their distinctive slouch hats. The New Zealand 'lemon squeezer' hat also revealed its wearer's nationality.
An Order of Battle generally shows the organisation, command structure, number of personnel, and equipment of units in an armed force. In 1915, the Order of Battle for the ANZAC units looked quite different from how it looked at the end of the war.
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/military-organisation/australian-imperial-force/australian-and-new-zealand-army-corps
John James Retief
Service number: 1319
RETIEF John James : Service Number - 1319 : Place Of Birth - Tulbagh South Africa : Place Of Enlistment - Fraser Hill QLD : Next Of Kin - (Wife) RETIEF Elizabeth RETIEF John James : Service Number - 1319 : Place of Birth - Tulbage South Africa : Place of Enlistment - Fraser Hill QLD : Next of Kin - (Wife) RETIEF Elizabeth. Series number: B2455, Control symbol: RETIEF JOHN JAMES
https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/Search/General?query=retief
A copy of his official attestation paper traced online at the National Archives of Australia is loosely included with this album.
Overall Condition: Very Good Size: oblong 4to (220 x300mm)
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
