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#1
10-08-11, 10:41 AM
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Australian Engineer Gallipoli
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. 
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#2
10-08-11, 12:03 PM
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He appears to have four inverted chevrons below the grenade on his right forearm. What does this signify?
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#3
10-08-11, 12:33 PM
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Dean,
The thing about the Ozzie is they didn't really abide by any regulations in regards badge placement. Those chevrons are most likely for good conduct, as service chevrons which denote the years served are usually a lot smaller. British soldiers wore good conduct stripes on the other arm. The badge on the pocket is probably the Australian Returned From Active Service badge. The shoulder title is in fact an engineers title: ENGRS Must be missing from your book. Not sure about this since your picture is the size of a postage stamp, you need to check the papers for units served.
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Mr Kipling - Exceedingly good badge books. Last edited by Jibba Jabba; 10-08-11 at 12:47 PM.
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#4
18-10-17, 07:48 AM
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Quote:
see photo.
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#6
10-08-11, 12:38 PM
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Thanks Jibba-Jabba,
Yes fits that he is back from Gallipoli and off to France and has the rank of sapper on embarkation to France but was a Sgt at Gallipoli - story to be told there and has Returned from Active Service Badge. Good Conduct chevrons but to go from Sgt to Sapper? Yes ENGRS title fits and makes sense.
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#7
10-08-11, 01:05 PM
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Since you have not shown the papers it hard for me to know what the circumstances are. Demotion in rank does not always occur because you were a naughty boy. It was common place in the Australian army at that time to relinquish rank at own request to be with ones 'cobbers',
__________________
Mr Kipling - Exceedingly good badge books.
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