Summary

Postcard dating from World War I, showing a black and white photograph of the Arch of Etesiphon (Ctesiphon) in Iraq, part of a ruined palace.

Today the arch is located near the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, on a site known as Taq Kasra. The arch is the only remaining part of the ancient city of Ctesiphon, which from the 2nd century BC to the 7th century AD was the main capital of the Iranian Parthian and Sasanian dynasties.

Part of a collection of World War I photographs associated with the service of Lionel Knox Trezise (service no. 14340), father of the donor John Trezise. Lionel was a 'reliving postmaster and telegraphist' when he enlisted on 22 March 1916. He was placed in the 1st Australian Wireless Signal Squadron as a sapper, serving with the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force. During his service he apparently took photographs in India, Sri Lanka and Mesopotamia (Iraq and neighbouring regions). After returning to Australia in 1919 he married and became a public servant. He died in 1972. Lionel's brother John Gordon (Jack) Trezise also served in World War I (service no. 5105). He enlisted on 2 March 1916 while a 26-year-old shop assistant in Broken Hill, and was killed in action in France on 1 June 1918.

Description of Content

Ruined building with arch. Two horses, one ridden by a man, stand at the front, though at some distance away.

Physical Description

Post card featuring a black and white photograph with an inscription handwritten in pencil on the reverse describing the scene. The photograph has faded and the edges are slightly curled. The surface is cracked and the emulsion lifting.

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