Item #107814 A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train. 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train.
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train
[1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train]

A collection of vintage photographs taken on active service - including at Gallipoli - by Warrant Officer (later Lieutenant) Edward James Shalless, a member of the 1st Royal Australian Navy Bridging Train

This very small and relatively unknown unit, formed in February 1915, was diverted to Gallipoli and put under the control of the British Army. On 7 August, during the August Offensive, the Bridging Train went ashore at Suvla Bay and built a number of essential piers. The unit remained at Gallipoli until the final evacuation on 18 December; it was based in Egypt throughout 1916, before being disbanded in early 1917. WO Shalless joined the 4th Pioneer Battalion in March 1916. These 54 images (47 of them captioned in detail), some printed ephemera, and a hand-made Xmas card (from 'My Dug Out, Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, 17-11-15'), sent home to his wife and son, are a very rare record of the activities of the 1st RANBT.

The bulk of the images are presented on 33 contemporary postcard-format prints on stiff card stock (the other three are slightly smaller prints, on thinner stock); 18 of the prints each contain images of two original snapshots. From Gallipoli, there are 11 single prints and one double print (and all 13 images captioned); from Egypt and voyage over, there are seven single prints and 17 double prints (34 of the 41 images are captioned).

Item #107814

Price (AUD): $3,500.00