| Place | Oceania: Australia, Western Australia |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P01641.015 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | British Mandate of Palestine: Tel Aviv |
| Date made | December 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
A reunion of six Western Australians in Tel Aviv just prior to the departure of the 2/16th ...
Description
A reunion of six Western Australians in Tel Aviv just prior to the departure of the 2/16th Battalion (2/16 Bn) for Australia.
Identified, left to right, back row: WX1599 Captain Breton Douglas Norman (Bret) Langridge, 2/16 Bn, killed in action in New Guinea on 8 September 1942; WX8095 Corporal (Cpl) James Andrew (Jimmy) Stark; WX3093 Second Lieutenant (2lt) Ronald Henry Christian.
Front row: WFX17018 Private (Pte) Betty Dettman, Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) 2/9th Australian General Hospital (2/9th AGH); WFX17017 Pte Margaret Norah Bolton, VAD 2/9th AGH; WFX17019 Pte Yvonne Marcelline Marie Antoine (later Yvonne Christian), VAD, 2/9th AGH.
Pte Dettman and Capt Langridge met while they were serving in the Middle East. They were engaged in May, 1942, with the proposal and acceptance happening via cable. Capt Langridge was killed in action on 8 September 1942, aged 23, leading an attack against the Japanese during the vicious fighting at Brigade Hill, on the Kokoda Trail, in Papua.
Pte Antoine and 2lt Christian were engaged in 1940 before both were posted to the Middle East. They married on 26 February 1943, spending a brief period of leave in Australia, and then returned to service with their respective units. 2lt Christian was awarded the Military Cross in 1943, for his 'courage and initiative' at Isurava on 29 August 1942 and 30 August 1942. He was also awarded the bar to the Military Cross in 1945 for 'conspicuous bravery and leadership' in Balikpapan on 1 July 1945.