An original panoramic group photograph of the 'Royal Australian Engineers Forestry Company'
A vintage gelatin silver photograph (visible image size 109 × 485 mm), recently matted, framed and glazed (external dimensions 240 × 616 mm).
The photograph has a few vertical creases (one of them almost a crack); overall, in excellent condition.
'Two forestry companies were quickly raised in 1940 as part of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE). The first Forestry Company (2/1) was in Sydney with men from NSW, Queensland and South Australia led by Captain Cyril Richard Cole, a professional forester from the Australian Capital Territory, while a second Forestry Company (2/2) was raised in Melbourne under the command of Captain Andrew Leonard (Ben) Benallack from the Forests Commission Victoria with soldiers recruited from Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. All units included men who had served in the war of 1914-18. The two Forestry Companies sailed from Fremantle on the "Stratheden" on 30 May 1940 destined for the Suez Canal but were diverted to England via Cape Town after France fell to Germany and the subsequent Dunkirk evacuation. The troops landed in July and undertook further military training in at Alton, southern England. They were immediately positioned to guard against invasion while the Battle of Britain was in full fury overhead' (Wikipedia). No specific details accompany this photograph, but we suggest it was taken in Australia before embarkation.
Item #125870
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