Billings, Hubert (Bert) Douglas

Collection relating to the First World War service of 14 Sapper (Spr) Hubert (Bert) Douglas, who served as a wireless operator with 1st Signal Troop, Australian Engineers, and 1st Light Horse Brigade during 1915-1916, before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in October 1916. Written in 1974 primarily for the interest of his family and friends, his typed narrative was compiled from his very detailed personal diaries kept during his eight months at Gallipoli from the landing on 25 April 1915 to the evacuation on 19 December 1915, his ten months in Egypt and the Sinai Desert from January to November 1916, including his experience of the Battle of Romani in August 1916, and the period 1917-1918 after tranferring to the Flying Corps. Also included are some photocopies of pages from his original handwritten diaries, a photocopy of his Certificate of Discharge, some copies of newspaper articles, and some typed notes from the Royal Australian Corps of Signals History. Later narratives written by Spr Billings are held in the Private Records Collection 3DRL/6575, and the Manuscripts Collection MSS1022.