| Accession Number | P07333.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Colour - Toned black & white print |
| Maker |
Royal Central Studios |
| Date made | 1917 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of three Sergeants of the 14th Battalion. Identified from left is 5247 Sergeant ...
Description
Studio portrait of three Sergeants of the 14th Battalion. Identified from left is 5247 Sergeant (Sgt) James Pearce Scarff, 4628 Sgt David Watson, and 4865 Sgt George James Marshallsea. A clerk with the AMP Building Society in Melbourne before enlisting in August 1915, Sgt Watson left Australia for England with the 14th Reinforcements in May 1916, and reverted to the rank of Corporal (Cpl) before proceeding to France for service on the Western Front in May 1917. Cpl Watson was killed instantly by shell fragments from an artillery round which burst nearby whilst he was moving along a duck-board track to look at new positions gained at Polygon Wood on 26 September 1917. Aged 20 at the time of his death, he was buried nearby, but the cross marking his grave was lost in later fighting and consequently he has no known grave. Both Sgt Scarff and Sgt Marshallsea survived the war, Sgt Scarff's diary forming part of the Memorial's private record collection at PR03347.