Verascope leather accessories box with accessories : Staff Sergeant A D Whitling, 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital, AIF

Rectangular leather-bound box of sewn construction with sewn carrying handle rivetted to top and hinged lid fitted with a lockable nickel-plated brass lock with circular escutcheon plate. A key for this is tied with yellow twine to the handle. Leather tabs carrying a metal suspension ring are sewn to the centre of each side, intended to attach a carrying strap.

The interior is lined with red velvet with the main body divided into four unequal compartments. Contained within these are a range of accessory boxes. They are:

1) black card lidded box labelled 'Apparatus Oddments', containing two lengths of red felt; a pair of circular spare leather lens caps joined by a length of black twine; a length of black velvet tape; a roll of fuze wire; a length of black twine wrapped round a gray card.

2) black card lidded box labelled 'Attachments', containing a spare spring loaded glass optical view finder; a metal shutter speed guide; a spare shutter mechanism; a spare rear frame joiner; a ball pivot mounting; three blued metal magazine plate components, a spare flip-up rear sight fitting; a small rubber bulb fitting.

3) black card lidded box labelled 'Glass Cutter & Metal Guide', with 'AGW' in pencil under the base, containing a bone-handled metal headed cutting tool; a black metal rotary cutting head; five identical rectangular gray cards, 45 x 25 mm, one entitled 'Correct Gauge for Autochrome'; a rectangle of metal, 45 x 10 mm; two strips of yellow celluloid, one 45 x 7 mm, the other 45 x 3 mm; a red card labelled in black ink: 'Top. Stop for cutting cover glass to correct size for mounting Dufaycolour in metal frame'; and another , entitled 'Top. Stop, for use on Verascope Cutting Board, for correct length of the half Dufaycolour films, for mounting in the metal frames.'

4) black card lidded box, labelled 'Screws', containing a smaller brown leather bound box labelled 'Lumiere'. The inside lid of the smaller box is lined in royal blue silk and labelled 'Ross Ltd, Opticians, 3 Cockspur St London SW'. The base is lined in blue velvet and contains a pair of yellow glass filters inset into the case, with a pair of blue silk ribbons to aid removal.

5) a second separate example of the Lumiere box, also with yellow filters.

6) two black card boxes with a nesting slide top, containing a smaller box with eight metal negative frames. One box is missing its sliding lid.

7) two rectangular leather bound hinged lid boxes, bearing the name 'Bonnettes D'Approche Systeme J. Richard' in gold block lettering on the lid. The interior is lined in salmon coloured silk with a maroon velvet lined support, which holds a metal frame with six circular cut-outs behind glass, designed to fit over the camera's dual lenses. A sliding metal blind can then be utilised to mask one or both lenses. Stamped with serial 2197 and the maker's logo. The lock on the second example is jammed and cannot be opened, but presumably contains an identical item.

A black metal film loading frame and plate complete the accessories.

The lid is fitted with a expanding pocket with a snap-fastened closing flap. Contained within the pocket are a blued metal film plate; a celluloid calendar for 1911 advertising Gowing Bros ('Everything for Men's & Boy's Wear') - the reverse is labelled 'Erasable Memorandum'. The owner has written in ink: 'This camera belongs to A D Whiting Shepherd St Ryde Sydney NSW. Substantial reward upon return if lost. Actual shutter speeds of shutter - (tested 3 September 1911) : 1/5, 1/16, 1/25, 1/30, 1/45, 1/50.

Also contained in the pocket are a small square blue box containing a pair of handmade red filters using card and celluloid; and an orange label, titled 'The Verascope Changing Box. Empty'. A note on shutter speeds is written on the reverse.

Camera owned and used by 14529 Arthur Dumas Whitling, born 1876 at Parramatta, NSW, a civil servant who was 38 years old when he enlisted on 13 July 1915. Assigned to the Australian Army Medical Corps, Whitling was promoted to Corporal the day after his enlistment and Lance Sergeant (Clerk) on 12 August 1915. He joined the Australian Convalescent Depot departing from Sydney aboard HMAT Orsova on 14 July 1915.

Although Whitling was promoted to Staff Sergeant on 7 September 1915 and to Warrant Officer Class 1 on 1 March 1916, these appointments were never confirmed, resulting in Whitling's rank and dates of promotion becoming the subject of an internal AIF investigation. The result, in late 1919, was confirmation of his rank as Staff Sergeant but not a Warrant Officer. Whitling had a few things to say about this, and in his correspondence states 'As showing the muddle the records in my case were, I may instance the fact that whilst I held the position of Chief Clerk at the No 1 Australian Aux Hospital, Harefield Park, England, the OC Records London wrote for particulars, regarding me "as we have no trace of this man on record". That was strange, as I was one of the original members of the London Staff and had been paid at Headquarters for over a year!!'

'I subsequently had to reattest, notwithstanding that I personally handed over the attestation papers of myself & others on or arrival in London over a year previously.' A letter from Victoria Barracks written in 1921, querying Whitling's eligibility for the Victory Medal, notes: 'Whitling states that he enlisted specifically under Lieutenant Colonel Flashman, AAMC, on 5 July 1915, and embarked on Special Service.'

Whitling disembarked in London on 12 August 1915 and was taken on strength of Admin HQ, Medical Section at AIF Headquarters, Horseferry Road, London before being transferred to 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield on 25 August 1916. In accordance with the mess his records were in, Staff Sergeant Whitling wasn't allotted a regimental number until 17 January 1917. On 4 March 1918 Whitling was admitted to 1 Auxiliary Hospital with a medical condition which resulted in him being discharged from service with a 'debility'. He embarked from England board the Hospital Ship Kanowna for return to Australia, and was discharged on 26 June 1918, upon his return. He married Brenda on 16 September 1919 and died in 1973.

Arthur Whitling appears to have purchased this Verascope stereoscopic camera by 1911 at the latest, and used it well into the post Second World War period. He was an active member of the NSW Photographic Society until his death. Stereoscopic images acquired with the camera record such events as the visit of the American 'Great White Fleet' in August 1908, Sydney University's Commemoration Day of 1910, the SS 'Canonbar' aground near Lismore in 1911, embarkation images, views of Egypt and England from 1915 to 1918, views of Gallipoli and Anzac Cove, including the May 1915 Armistice to bury the Turkish dead, the Prince of Wales' visit to Australia, 1920 and Bradman at the 5th Test Match, SCG, 1933. A range of Autochromes also indicate that Whitling was an early and enthusiastic user of this colour system.

The Verascope was developed by the firm of Richard Freres (Richard Brothers) of Paris. Jules Richard (19 December 1848 - 18 June 1930) took over management of his father's camera business in 1871, and operated it with his brother. The Verascope, in its unique 45 x 107 mm format, entered the market early in the 1900s and was updated with a 35 mm version in 1913. Richard Freres released their own range of stereoscopic views of the Western Front and damage to French towns and villages in a series running to several thousand images.

The number of accessories and equipment carried in this case is a reminder that the owner and operator of the camera in the early 1900s was also responsible for their own negative cutting and loading, developing and mounting.