Studio portrait of 5583 Sergeant (Sgt) James Duncan, blacksmith striker, of Donald, Victoria. He ...

Studio portrait of 5583 Sergeant (Sgt) James Duncan, blacksmith striker, of Donald, Victoria. He enlisted in the 23rd Battalion on 11 April 1916 and was appointed Acting Corporal and then Recruits Sergeant before embarking from Melbourne aboard HMAT Shropshire on 11 November 1916 for Plymouth, England. He reverted to the ranks when he joined the battalion in France on 17 January 1917 and was wounded in action near Noreuil, France, on 20 March 1917. Pte Duncan was subsequently evacuated to the 3rd London General Hospital, England, and then to the Military Orthopaedic Hospital, Shepherds Bush, where he died as a result of the wounds received in action and pneumonia following operations. He was aged 33 years. This image is one from a poster produced at Donald, Victoria, commemorating the deaths of soldiers associated with Donald and surrounding district during the First World War. The poster is held at P08261.001.