Sapper GW Flanagan's WW1 snaps

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Heather - spot on Crossley 20/25 Tourer.Crossley_15hp_Tourer_sn-3184_1912_Morpeth_NSW_Australia_Peter_Caunt_photo_2012.jpg

All three are officers, the chap on the left is newly commissioned with just the one pip. The two in the car have no cap badge on their hats and we cannot see the cap badge of the observer. Could the lack of cap badge on the two in the car be due to there being no cap badges available?
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I think it's a later model than the Shuttleworth Collection one. It seems to have electric lighting, which threw me momentarily when I was comparing with other images I have found. The front scuttle shape is also a little different, but the body shape and shape of the real wheel arches was good enough for me.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Thanks for all the replies so far. I thought it was a 0395 class but not being an expert on Southern matters didn't want to assume it was. I think the wings are Australian Flying Corps, the reason for army uniforms is probably that the AFC were part of the Australian Imperial Force (army) although they operated under RFC/RAF command. Hopefully they were part of the Australian Flying Corps No 1 Squadron which left Australia in March 1916 for Palestine and the Middle East and not part of the ill fated and unfortunately named Mesopotamian Half Flight who had left earlier in the war.

I found an auction house image of the AFC wings which look about right for the wings in the photo.
AFC wings.jpg

Presumably the Crossley belonged to the RFC. Pity I can no longer ask my great uncles about the Highland regiments in which they served.
 

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Fraser,
the wings look to have a flatter bottom which is why I tend towards RAF wings. What they are doing on some chaps from down under is another matter! More research.
Simon
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Continuing this thread instead of starting a new one seems sensible.

An unlabelled photograph taken by Daniel Pratt in Palestine during WW1 in an album in the State Library of Victoria. The rest of the photos in the album are mostly of crashed biplanes in Egypt. Pratt was a pilot, possibly an instructor based on the number of photos with captions 'after student pilot crash on landing', who went on to establish an aerial photography company in Melbourne after the war called Airspy.

Looks like an ex LSWR 0395 class in use on the Palestine Military Railway. If anyone recognises where it is let us know, the other photo on the album page is of Jericho. From the appearance of the station building it is probably on the Jerusalem branch after conversion to standard gauge by the EEF.
Pratt Palestine LSWR 395.jpg
Detail -
Pratt Palestine LSWR395.jpg
 

Brian McKenzie

Western Thunderer
Fraser,
I took the liberty of forwarding your photographs to Rabbi Dr Walter Rothschild who replied as follows:

"Wow! After years of research the images are new to me. This is at Bittir, the last station before Jerusalem. The rolling stock is ESR wagons converted into primitive carriages for troops. Part of this station still exists but the station is closed and the line from Beit Shemesh on to Jerusalem has also been closed since Covid hit in March".

-Brian McK.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Fraser,
I took the liberty of forwarding your photographs to Rabbi Dr Walter Rothschild who replied as follows:

"Wow! After years of research the images are new to me. This is at Bittir, the last station before Jerusalem. The rolling stock is ESR wagons converted into primitive carriages for troops. Part of this station still exists but the station is closed and the line from Beit Shemesh on to Jerusalem has also been closed since Covid hit in March".

-Brian McK.
Thanks Brian.

A little searching finds that the station building at Bittir (now usually spelt Battir in English) was altered to two storey at some point and the standard gauging was actually dual gauge, apparently reverting to narrow gauge later.
image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpg
A picnic in 1927.

The eucalypts on the platform would have made Daniel Pratt feel at home.
 

Brian McKenzie

Western Thunderer
This photo of an ESR low-sided wagon, converted for transporting troops, was kindly forwarded by Chen Melling of the Israel Railway Museum at Haifa East (the original photo caption in Hebrew didn't want to translate nor upload).
ESR wagon converted for troop transport.JPG
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
I realised I got Pratt's first name wrong. He was Charles Daniel Pratt so I should have said Charles Pratt. This is Charles Pratt in a plane -
Charles Pratt in plane FL15996335 adj.jpg

And a few of his other photos. One of the many crash scenes
RE3 FL15599017 crop.jpg

These are from badly faded images so I have increased the contrast.
Beersheba FL15598907 adj.jpg

Beersheba FL15598375 adj.jpg

Beersheba FL15758693 adj.jpg

All are from the State Library of Victoria collection and high resolution versions are available on line. We are fortunate that there were so many avid photographers amongst the Australian forces during WW1 and that they were allowed to carry cameras. I do wonder how they obtained film. I don't think British soldiers were allowed to have cameras, maybe I have just not seen their work.

Syria12.jpg
Reminds me of a trip through Turkey and Syria to Jordan and back again by trains and local buses in 2000. I am looking forward to travelling again sometime. Hopefully there will still be some decrepit railways left to visit and travel on.
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
A little searching finds that the station building at Bittir (now usually spelt Battir in English) was altered to two storey at some point and the standard gauging was actually dual gauge, apparently reverting to narrow gauge later.

The station building is very Mediterranean in style, very similar to those in the South of France and Italy.
 
Top