Informal portrait of 5040 Private (Pte) Harry James Botten, 3rd Battalion (left) and Pte John ...

Informal portrait of 5040 Private (Pte) Harry James Botten, 3rd Battalion (left) and Pte John Patrick Hall, 17th Battalion. Pte Hall was a bootmaker from Redfern, New South Wales, prior to enlistment and he embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Ceramic on 13 April 1916 for Plymouth, England. He joined his battalion on the Western Front, France, on 24 September 1916. Pte Hall was wounded in action on 3 May 1917 but was able to rejoin his unit 7 weeks later. Pte Hall survived the war and returned to Australia for discharge in October 1919. Pte Botten was a shop assistant from Ashfield, New South Wales, prior to enlistment and he embarked from Sydney aboard SS Makarini on 1 April 1916 for Egypt and then to England. He joined his battalion on the Western Front, France, in August 1916 and was appointed Lance Corporal (L CPL) on 18 July 1917. L Cpl Botten was wounded in action near Ypres, Belgium, on 4 October 1917 and was evacuated to the 3rd Stationary Hospital, Rouen, France, where he died of these wounds three days later. He was aged 20 years.