Darge Photographic Company collection of negatives

Outdoor portrait of “M J Edwards, W A Sig”, believed to be 2019 Private (Pte) William John Edwards, 10th Light Horse Regiment from Perth, Western Australia. A 26 year old jockey prior to enlisting on 14 October 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 14th Reinforcements from Fremantle, Western Australia on 16 February 1916 aboard HMAT Warilda (A69). After arriving in Egypt, he transferred to the 4th Divisional Ammunition Column, mustered as a Gunner and joined the 24th Howitzer Brigade. In July 1916, he proceeded to France where he joined the 11th Field Artillery Brigade six months later. Gunner Edwards arrived back in Australia on 8 June 1919. [See also image DAOD1193.] This is one of a series of photographs taken by the Darge Photographic Company which had the concession to take photographs at the Broadmeadows and Seymour army camps during the First World War. In the 1930s, the Australian War Memorial purchased the original glass negatives from Algernon Darge, along with the photographers' notebooks. The notebooks contain brief details, usually a surname or unit name, for each negative.