Informal group portrait, from left to right, of 1549 Private (Pte) William Roy Guest, 11th ...

Accession Number P09435.003
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white - Digital file TIFF
Maker Unknown
Place made Australia: Western Australia
Date made 1914
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Informal group portrait, from left to right, of 1549 Private (Pte) William Roy Guest, 11th Battalion, and 'Bob' and 'Mac' at Blackboy Hill Camp, Western Australia. Pte Guest enlisted on 19 December 1914, claiming to be 19 years old but was actually aged 14. He embarked from Fremantle aboard HMAT Itonus (A50) with the 3rd Reinforcements of the 11th Battalion on 22 February 1915. He transferred to the 1st Pioneer Battalion on 11 March 1916 and was wounded in action on 31 July 1916. After rejoining his Battalion, Pte Guest received the Belgian Croix de Guerre Medal on 5 October 1918. He was promoted to Corporal on 19 October 1918, however reverted to Pte on 8 December 1918. Pte Guest returned to Australia on 18 December 1918, going on to model for the Australian War Records Section Artist, Charles Gilbert. Guest went on to serve in the Second World War as a Warrant Officer (service number VX7412) with the 2/5th Battalion. 'Bob' and 'Mac' cannot be further identified.