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Victoria
Barracks, Melbourne, Vic. 1905.
Group
portrait of members of the Royal New South Wales Lancers. They were
members of a team visiting Melbourne for a tournament. Left to right:
Trooper B. Bailey, Sergeant E. W. Thompson, Trooper F. Ryan, Sergeant
A. W. Whitney.
(donor W. Thompson)
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| A
book by Osprey
Publishing Used with permission |
- One of the least photographed
uniforms worn by the Australian Army is the one called Battle Dress.
This is partly because the wars we fought were in tropical areas or
before the uniform was accepted. As a heavy serge winter uniform it
was just inappropriate in many cases.
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- The
Battle Dress uniform of the English Major General George William Symes,
CB, MC during the time he was Honorary Colonel of The Adelaide Rifles
1958/60.
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| Battle
Dress was on issue to all ranks during the 1960s and was worn with a
khaki polyester shirt, khaki tie and braces. Braces were items that very
few young men of the 1960s had ever worn as that was the start of the blue
jeans generation with trousers worn belt-less and on the hip. I vividly
remember pre-leave dress inspections where if you were caught without
braces properly worn you forfeited your Leave Pass. |
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British design Battle Dress
1937/40 pattern that was manufactured in the USA as part of Lend Lease
arrangements.
These were on issue to all Commonwealth forces in North
Africa.
Note the map pocket in the trousers.
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- US Marines in Aussie uniform.
(Battle Jacket, Not "Ike"
Jacket) "When the 1st Marine Division arrived in Australia from
Guadalcanal in early 1943, it was issued the Australian battle dress
blouse and trousers, because of a shortage of US forest green
service uniforms. The wool serge waist-length blouse was OD (olive
drab), termed khaki by the Australians. It had pleated breast
pockets, concealed pocket flap and front closure buttons. Known as
the 'Vandegrift' jacket, after the Division Commander, it proved
popular. A US-made forest green version was authorised for officers
in December 1944 and for enlisted men in August 1945."
(from
US
Marine Corps 1941-45, by Gordon Rottman/Mike Chappell, Osprey 1995).
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This WW1 AIF
tunic was worn by a Digger from the 5th
Battalion, who wears the ANZAC A
badge on his colour patch, the (red) 1914 overseas service chevron and
5 other (blue) 1 year overseas service chevrons on the lower sleeve.
He also
wears the AIF Rising Sun collar badges and the chevrons of a specialist
corporal (Lewis Gunner). It may be surprising that he doesn't wear any Good Conduct
badges. The shoulder titles 'Australia' are the straight version.
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| Russell George
Bosisto was born on 18th April, 1893 at Hindmarsh, South Australia.
Russell was 21 years old and employed as a baker when he enlisted in the
Australian Imperial Force at Beachport on 15th March, 1915. He was
posted to "A" Company of the 27th Battalion and served in
Egypt and Gallipoli before arriving in France on 21st March, 1916. |
| Russell's
body was not found after the battle of Pozieres or after the war, and so
in due course his name was included on the Australian Memorial to the
Missing at Villers-Bretonneux. His
body was found in 1998 and buried with honour.
www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/bosisto.htm |
NX7324
Private (Pte) L. J. Horwood who served with the 17 Battalion, and later
with the 2/20 Infantry Battalion until he was killed in action in Malaya
on 10 February 1942.
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