| Accession Number | P05809.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Egypt: North Egypt, Mena |
| Date made | 1918 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal portrait of Lieutenant (Lt) Noel Ernest Biden and Lt Richard John Dyer, 1st Field ...
Description
Informal portrait of Lieutenant (Lt) Noel Ernest Biden and Lt Richard John Dyer, 1st Field Company Engineers. Raised and educated in Sydney, Noel Biden trained at RMC Duntroon (see A04160) and applied for a commission in the AIF on 14 August 1914. He embarked with the 1st Field Coy Engineers aboard HMAT Afric on 18 October 1914 and landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He was promoted to Captain in July 1915 and was transferred to the 3rd Field Company on 10 September. Captain Biden was evacuated to Mudros on 22nd November 1915 with paratyphoid and pneumonia. He died on 21 December 1915 and is buried at Portianos Military Cemetery. In a letter to the Base Records office in Melbourne dated 28th December 1915, his father Ernest H. Biden wrote, "We were hopeful through the Christmas that no news was a good augury that we would hear of our son's recovery...we have lost a good son and the Department has lost a loyal and promising officer". Richard Dyer, from Woolstonecroft, NSW, served as an engineer for two and a half years in the Citizens' Military Forces (CMF) prior to his application for a commission in the AIF on 26 August 1914. He embarked with Lt Biden and the 1st Field Company Engineers aboard HMAT Afric on 18 October 1914. He was promoted Lieutenant on 1 February 1915, Captain in July 1915, Major in May 1916 and Lieutenant Colonel in April 1918. He was awarded the Croix de Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur on 20 March 1916, the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in December 1916 and mentioned in despatches four times. He returned to Australia in 1919.
See also P07973.015.