| Accession Number | P07799.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Egypt |
| Date made | 1915 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Lieutenant (Lt) Noel Edmund McShane, 1st Battalion, of Waverley, NSW, poses with a heliograph, ...
Description
Lieutenant (Lt) Noel Edmund McShane, 1st Battalion, of Waverley, NSW, poses with a heliograph, probably at Mena Camp, Egypt. A clerk for an insurance company with four years experience in the senior cadets before enlisting as a Private (Pte) in August 1914 (serial number 50), Pte McShane left Australia for Egypt attached to the 1st Battalion Headquarters in October 1914. After service on Gallipoli, Pte McShane was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt) in October 1915 and attached to the battalion signalling company. On arrival in France for service on the Western Front in March 1916, 2nd Lt McShane was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (Lt) and took command of 1 Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion. He was killed by German artillery whilst the battalion was digging trenches in preparation for an attack on Pozieres on the night of 25 July 1916. Aged 23 at the time of his death, he was buried nearby, but his grave was lost in later fighting and remains unknown. 2nd Lt McShane's portrait is placed on a mounting board and is decorated with the colour patch of the 1st Battalion.