[Desert Rat]

Originally Posted by kingsley

Never heard of a tie badge before and would be interested to see a scan.
Attached is an extract from the Trial Bay Museum's large hi def GCC group guards photo. Interesting to see the Long Lee Enfields and bandoliers.
The guys in the photo are young and fit, not over-age veterans, and I would want this particular guard on my side if it came to a brawl.
Two of the guards at the Cowra breakout in 1944 were elderly gentlemen in their 40s, beaten to death by the Japanese but managing to hide the Vickers MG breechblock. Unbelieveably, their wives did not get a pension because they were officially not on active service. They posthumously got the George Cross each.
The original owner of my collar badge was Linton Adlam, who joined the AIF after leaving the GCC. He went to France and survived the war. His son Frank Adlam was a great friend of my father, serving in the RAA in WW2 and later described as 'Australia's greatest gunner'. He was a noted authority on Martini rifles and on artillery in Australia. His scale model working miniature rifles and machine guns were works of art. He moved to South Australia in the 1950s and became the director of the artillery proof range in Port Wakefield. I last saw his sons in the 1950s (my generation) and possibly the family in Adelaide still has more of Linton's estate items.

Outstanding photograph kingsley! Thank you for posting it.