Summary
One of 108 images in an album from World War I likely to have been taken by Captain Edward Albert McKenna. The album contains photographs of the 7th Battalion in Egypt.
Image of Captains McCrae and Weddell with a Mr Vaughan and some Indian troops, taken at the Citadel. Captain Geoffery Gordon McCrae was assigned to the 7th Battalion C Company. He was killed in action on 19 July 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. Lieutenant Robert Hunter Weddell was assigned to the 7th Battalion F Company. He returned to Australia as Major Weddell in February 1916. It is possible that the 'Mr. Vaughan' depicted is Mr. John ('Jim') Vaughan who served as the South Australian Attorney General from April 1915-July 1917 when he resigned to join the AIF.
For 700 years Egypt was ruled from the hill on which the Citadel stands. The first building erected on this site was a bastion of Saladin in the 12th century. In the 13th century, the Mamluk Sultan, al-Nasir Muhammad, demolished several of the Ayyubid buildings to make way for his own building works. These were later demolished by Ottoman Sultan Muhammad 'Ali who redesigned the Citadel according to his own preference. Today the citadel still resembles that built by Muhammad 'Ali and the two mosques in the image are the Muhammad 'Ali Mosque and the al-Nasir Muhammad mosque. Nothing remains of the original building erected by Saladin aside from Bir Yusuf, the well that supplies the Citadel with water.
The album relates to the service of Captain Edward Albert McKenna. McKenna served in the 7th Battalion Australian Infantry and was killed in action in Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, aged 37.
Description of Content
The photograph depicts a group of three Australian soldiers and six Indian troops posing in front of a citadel's iron fence. Two of the Australian soldiers are dressed in full uniform, while the other is wearing a suit, tie and hat.The Indian troops are all wearing turbans and are dressed in more casual clothing. The group of men are . The citadel windows, along the right hand side of the photograph, are plated with decorative iron fixtures.
Physical Description
Black and white photographic print on paper with a white border.
More Information
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Collection Names
Returned and Services League (RSL) Collection, Military Memorabilia Collection
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Mr J. Willis, circa 1986
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Acknowledgement
Mr. J. Willis
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Place & Date Depicted
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Photographer
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Creator
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Person Depicted
Captain Geoffery G. McCrae - Australian Imperial Force (AIF), Egypt, 1914-1915
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Person Depicted
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Individuals Identified
Captain McCrae; Captain Weddell
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Format
Photograph, Black & White
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Inscriptions
Hand written in ink on the support to the right of the photograph: 'Taken / at / the / Citadel / Capt / McCRae / Mc Vaughan / Capt Weddell' Hand written in pencil on the back of the photograph: 'Taken at Citadele, Some Indian troops / are camped there. Capt McCrae Mc Vaughan / & Capt Weddell. Capt McCrae took / snap of me sitting where he is but / it was not a success. I think you / would like to see me among the Indians
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Image Dimensions - Photograph
84 mm (Width), 108 mm (Height)
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Image Dimensions - Photograph album page
174 mm (Width), 141 mm (Height)
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References
National Archives of Australia: McKenna Edward Albert, barcode 1949283, series B2455/1. 'The Citadel,' Sacred Destinations, at: [Link 1] accessed: December 19, 2012 'Mr Vaughan Home Labour Challenged,' The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Trove, at: [Link 2] accessed: December 19, 2012 'Attorney General of South Australia,' Wikipedia, at: [Link 3] accessed: December 19, 2012
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Keywords