Australian Engineer Gallipoli

[mooke07]

The following photographs are of Howard Nelson Page a Gallipoli Engineer.

I have a weathered photograph of him with some details recorded below the photograph on a card for the NSW Archives of those who enlisted from NSW in the Great War. Remarkably behind that photo and card was a beautifully preserved and much clearer photo. I show both here.

His rank is recorded as a Sgt of Corporals, present at the landing at Gallipoli and from Dulwich Hill, NSW. He was born in Colac, Victoria and his profession was Miner - hence the Engineers. His embarkation papers for July-December 1916 show him as a Reinforcement departing for France as a sapper with the Field Company Engineers (FCE). Those papers show his previous service as being with 1st Field Company Engineers as an Acting Corporal? He enlisted 31.8.1914.

I am just starting to research his service and any assistance appreciated and I will be going to post this on the Great War Forum as well.

He wears brass or bronze finish cap and collar badges shown for 1900-1912 Corps of Engineers (or Australian Engineers) according to Cossum. He has three rank chevrons with a grenade badge above. He has an Australian shoulder title and one which I cannot identify above that. Cossum records no shoulder title for Corps of Engineers but AE for Australian Engineers which steers the cap and collars to Corps of Engineers. He has a unit patch on his left shoulder. He wears an On Active Service badge on his right breast pocket. He has a lanyard over his left shoulder.

He embarked for France on HMAT Coramic at age 22.

Assistance with his badges especially shoulder title appreciated - see enlargement.

I think he may be a significant Gallipoli figure and he appears to have survived the war.

Regards Dean.