Image: 29 Bn (AWM E02790)

Description: AWM Caption: Warfusée-Abancourt, France. Lieutenant Rupert Frederick Arding Downes MC addressing his Platoon from B Company, 29th Battalion, during a rest near the villages of Warfusée-Abancourt and Lamotte-en-Santerre before the advance onto Harbonnières, the battalion's second objective. The background is obscured by the smoke of heavy shellfire.

Pictured, left to right:

5085 Sergeant (Sgt) William Patrick O'Brien of Gordon, Vic, a schoolteacher in civilian life, was killed in action on 9 August 1918;

4271 Private (Pte) James Cryer was born at Bury, Lancashire, a farmer when he enlisted at Armidale, NSW, later transferring to the 32nd Battalion;

4103 Pte Charles Alfred Olive of Lara, Vic was initially rejected before enlisting in September 1916, was killed in action near Bellicourt on 30 September 1918;

677 Lance Corporal (L Cpl) Louis Price MM of Maryborough, Vic, an original member of B company, was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in Belgium in 1917, and later transferred to the 32nd Battalion;

5095 Pte Harry James Phillips , a packer in civilian life, the youngest in the platoon at nineteen years of age, was wounded on 29 August 1918, returning to Australia in December 1918;

4733 Pte Horace Joseph Buckley , a clerk of Kyneton, Vic, was wounded in action on 9 August 1918, later transferring to the 32nd Battalion where his frequent periods of absenteeism continued;

509 L Cpl Alexander Bethuen Craven , a labourer of Ballarat, Vic, served three years with the battalion before transferring to the 32nd Battalion;

5088 Pte Patrick O'Grady of Galway, Ireland was employed as a miller in Melbourne, Vic, before enlistment and he also transferred to the 32nd Battalion;

5057 Pte Timothy Leyden of Trentham, Vic, a railway employee in civilian life, was gassed on 27 August 1918, transferring to the 5th Battalion on 22 November 1918;

5116 Pte Edward Thomlinson , a driver of Stawell, Vic, the oldest member of the platoon at forty four years of age, was taken on strength with the battalion on 6 June 1918, later transferring to the 32nd Battalion

5014 Pte Herbert Davidson , a leather worker of Brunswick, Vic, later transferred to the 32nd Battalion;

6827 Pte Horace John Towers , a farm labourer of Cootamundra, NSW, later transferred to the 32nd Battalion, and was admitted to the Abbeville Hospital on 9 November 1918 suffering broncho-pneumonia where he died on 11 November 1918;

4349 L Cpl Thomas John Barrett Pope , born at Westbury-on-Tyne, Gloucestershire, a farmer of Sydney, NSW, was wounded in action on 30 September 1918;

2568 Pte John Leslie Gordon Arlow of Warrnambool, Vic, a blacksmith in civilian life, was killed in action near Bellicourt on 30 September 1918;

3207 L Cpl John Bird , a carpenter of South Melbourne, Vic, later transferred to the 32nd Battalion;

560 Pte Frederick George Hall (front of line) , an iron moulder of South Melbourne, Vic, an original member of B company, was wounded in action twice;

Lieutenant R. F. A. Downes MC (right) of Camden, NSW, was an orchardist prior to enlistment, sailed as a second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant in May 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty" at Morlancourt in July 1918 and like most of his men was transferred to the 32nd Battalion with the reorganisation of battalions which took place in 1918
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