Lawson’s bring Rare War Memorabilia to Auction

Click to enlarge
Scanned segments from transcribed war diary:
0001.pdf, 0002.pdf, 0003.pdf, 0004.pdf, 0005.pdf, 0006.pdf, 0007.pdf, 0008.pdf, 0009.pdf, 0010.pdf, 0011.pdf, 0012.pdf, 0013.pdf, 0014.pdf, 0015.pdf, 0016.pdf, 0017.pdf, 0018.pdf, 0019.pdf, 0020.pdf, 0021.pdf

Lawson’s bring Rare War Memorabilia to 14th November Auction
Precious Kiwi Gallipoli Diary, Priceless Set of Frank Hurley Photographs, Rare WW1 Nurses Uniform

Lawson’s November auction brings to public view some of the most interesting war memorabilia this year. The auction will start at 12 noon at Lawsons 1A The Crescent Annandale on 14 November

Highlights include the most important Kiwi diary from Gallipoli to go to auction over the last 20 years with complete daily records from the first day of landing on April 25 1915 to departure in September that year. An intimate account, the soldier for example records shooting the Turks in the morning then swimming in the sea in the afternoon. Estimates range from $20,000 +.

A set of Gallipoli photographs from Australia’s greatest war photographer Frank Hurley represent a unique opportunity for collectors of war memorabilia and photography. With 50 items, this represents the largest portfolio of Frank Hurley’s work ever to be presented in one auction in recent times; they were taken in 1917, after returning from Antarctica with Shackleton, when he joined the Western Front. These are not composite but the original prints in black and white and include a shot of two biplanes flying through a sheet burst. The photographer took the photograph while in a balloon, a highly dangerous exercise considering the nature of the battle going on around him. Another memorable image is that of the construction of a duck board path which was a typical footbridge made to assist soldiers to cross the waist high mud in the trenches. Hurley photographs have achieved prices of up to $31,000 at auction

The full apparel for a World War 1 nurses uniform in white and grey will also have heads turning as this is a very rare auction item. It is accompanied by a certificate of the nurse’s graduation in the UK and a photograph of her wearing the uniform. It was sourced from her New Zealand daughter but it is not certain whether it is a New Zealand uniform or a UK one. The uniform celebrates the very heroic action of nurses who experienced real trauma during the war, actions for which little recognition has been given to them.

ENDS