Discovery of 3000 glass negs of soldiers

[deeiluka]

Let's hope the owner will follow the wonderful example of Madame Henriette Crognier, who so generously donated those in her possession.

It would be dreadful to think of this wonderful history of our brave Diggers not coming back to where they really belong.


Dee   

[BevL]

Hi,
I was amazed at how well the photos came out - what a wonderful find and I  hope someone will come forward to buy the rest. It is such a pity as they were just sitting there and were of no worth to anyone else but Australian families.
I am going through to see if I can see my uncles and some family cousins.
Bev

[genjen]

I don't think I have seen the fleecy looking jackets on any photographs before. Was that standard Australian issue, does anyone know? There are several photographs of men wearing them.

Jen

[deeiluka]

Jen, I can't find anything to mention those vests being standard issue. I did find articles saying that once they reached the front line, soldiers would wear all kinds of vests under their uniforms to try to keep warm.

[genjen]

Under their uniforms, I can understand but these are plainly some sort of accepted outer-wear. Makes me question the time of year the photographs were taken. Or was the summer of 1916 unusually cold in that part of France? I need to go back to my books....

[mare]

... wonderful discovery! ... hope you get a reply Jen ...  agree, on first impressions anyway, that there is a likeness.

[majm]

Could those fleecy vests have come from the Russians ?

Anyways, there's NSW based photographic studios who passed their glass plates to the Mitchell Library in Sydney, and that those collections include AIF men photographed at the Liverpool camp (a training camp, southwest of Sydney NSW), BEFORE they were marched out, ie photographed BEFORE they left for the Western Front.

The Mitchell may also be in need of funding, as many of those plates have not yet been indexed  .... but I feel sure that there's every likelyhood of finding good clear photos of the AIF faces to compare with those 3000 glass plates.  Also, I understand that there's many glass plates stores at the AWM .... the main problem seems to be that there's NO NAMES recorded on individual plates. 

Cheers,  JM

[deeiluka]

Think I've found the answer for Jen.......

From http://www.ict.griffith.edu.au/~davidt/z_ww1_slang/index_bak.htm

Battlefield Colloquialisms of the Great War (WW1) by Paul Hinckley

STINKER British army goatskin or sheepskin jerkin, first issued in winter 1914. From the smell, especially when wet.


Dee 

[majm]

Oh yes Dee, yes the smell of fleece when wet ... it was orrrrrrrrrrrrrrfullllllllllllll  it could get into the taste buds, not just the nostrils , but would keep you as snug as a bug in a rug and the reverse side I think had waterproof qualities ...