Before the War
Before they became soldiers, they were ordinary Australian children.
They grew up in bustling cities, country towns and remote communities across Australia. Some had been born in Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and elsewhere before making Australia their home. They attended school, played with brothers and sisters, joined sporting clubs, learned trades and looked forward to the future, unaware of the lives that lay ahead.
Before they were soldiers, they were sons, brothers, classmates and friends.
The photographs on this page capture these young Australians before the First World War—many while they were still children. Generously shared by their descendants, many of these images have rarely been seen publicly. They preserve precious family memories and offer a glimpse into lives untouched by war.
Looking into these faces today, it is difficult to imagine that within only a few years many would be wearing the uniform of the Australian Imperial Force. Some would be killed at Fromelles, some would become prisoners of war, and some would remain unidentified for more than a century.
These photographs remind us that every soldier was once a child with a family, hopes and dreams. Before they became the men of Fromelles, they were simply children growing up in Australia.
Walter Arthur Potter (1895–1972)
Before the war, Walter worked for the New South Wales Government Railways at Waterfall, south of Sydney. Like many young Australians of his generation, he left behind family, friends and a promising future when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He served with the 54th Battalion, survived the Battle of Fromelles, and endured more than two years as a prisoner of war in Germany.
Guy Gibney
These photographs show Guy Gibney with his sister Iris in the years before the war, first as small children and later as teenagers after the family had settled in Australia.
They are a powerful reminder that the men who served at Fromelles were once children, brothers, sons and schoolboys, with ordinary family lives far removed from the battlefields of France.
Guy later served with the Australian Imperial Force and became one of the many young men whose life was forever shaped by the First World War.
Harold Wallace Roth
This family portrait shows a young Harold Roth with his parents, Ellen and George Roth, in the years before the First World War. Like countless Australian families, the Roths posed proudly for a photograph that captured a moment in time long before the upheaval and loss that war would bring.
The image reminds us that before he became a soldier, Harold was a son growing up within a close family circle. Such photographs provide a rare glimpse into the lives, relationships and hopes that existed before military service and the events of 1916 changed so many Australian families forever.
William Joseph Cullen
This photograph shows William Cullen at about five years of age with his younger sister Josie, aged about two, around 1902. Taken more than a decade before the Battle of Fromelles, it captures a moment of childhood and family life that would otherwise have been lost to history.
Growing up in Victoria, William was one of many young Australians whose future seemed full of promise. The photograph reminds us that before military service, he was a son, a brother and a child surrounded by family.
Percy George Archibald Barr
These photographs, taken in England in 1902, show the Barr family before their migration to Australia. On the left are Percy’s parents, Beatrice and Thomas Barr, while the photograph on the right shows Percy and his brother Stanley as young boys.
The images capture a family at the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Like many Australians who later served in the First World War, Percy's story began far from the battlefields of France, surrounded by family, childhood memories and the promise of the future.
Rossiter Alfred Barrett
This photograph shows Ross Barrett as a young boy enjoying a game of golf, long before the First World War would take him far from home. Like many children of his generation, his early years were spent with family, school, sport and the everyday experiences of growing up.
The image captures a moment of youth and innocence, preserving a glimpse of the boy behind the service record. Before he became a soldier, Ross was a son, a friend and a young Australian with a future full of promise.
Louis Goodwin
This childhood photograph shows Louis Goodwin many years before the First World War, capturing an ordinary Australian boy whose future was still unwritten. Like so many family photographs of the era, it preserves a fleeting moment from a time of innocence before the outbreak of war changed the course of countless young lives.
The image reminds us that before he became a soldier, Louis was a son, a family member and part of a community. Generously shared by his descendants, this rare photograph helps preserve his story and ensures he is remembered not only for his military service, but for the life he lived before the war.
William Henry Turner
This photograph shows William Henry Turner before the First World War, preserving the image of a young Australian whose life would soon be changed by military service. Like many family photographs of the era, it captures a moment before the uncertainty and hardship of war became a reality.
William survived the Battle of Fromelles after being captured on 20 July 1916 and spent more than two years as a prisoner of war in Germany. Generously shared by his descendants, this photograph reminds us that behind every service record is a person with a family, a story and a life that began long before the battlefield.
Percy Bontoft
This childhood photograph shows Percy Bontoft many years before the First World War, preserving the image of a young Australian surrounded by family and the everyday life he knew before military service. Like many treasured family photographs of the era, it captures a moment of innocence before the events of 1916 would change so many lives forever.
Generously shared by his descendants, this rare photograph reminds us that before he became a soldier, Percy was a son, a family member and part of a community. It offers a personal connection to the man behind the uniform and helps ensure his story continues to be remembered more than a century after the Battle of Fromelles.
Roy Leslie Martin
This childhood photograph shows Roy Leslie Martin many years before the First World War, preserving a glimpse of the young Victorian whose life would be cut short at the Battle of Fromelles. Like many treasured family photographs, it captures a moment before war separated families and changed the course of so many young lives.
More than a century after his death, Roy became the 181st Australian soldier identified from the Pheasant Wood mass graves through DNA and historical research. Generously shared by his family, this photograph is a powerful reminder that every identified soldier represents a family finally reunited with one of their own.
Percy John Greenwood
This family photograph shows Percy John Greenwood in the years before the First World War, preserving the image of a young Australian long before military service and the Battle of Fromelles became part of his story. Like many treasured family photographs of the era, it captures a moment of everyday life before war changed so many Australian families forever.
Generously shared by his descendants, this rare photograph provides a personal connection to the man behind the service record. The Fromelles Association of Australia was also honoured to acquire Percy's original Memorial Plaque, commonly known as the 'Dead Man's Penny', helping preserve another important piece of his family's history for future generations.
Standing: Victor and Henry
Sitting: Arthur, Linda, and May
Arthur Ernest Francis
This family photograph shows Arthur Ernest Francis with his parents in the years before the First World War, preserving a treasured moment from a happy family life before military service and the Battle of Fromelles changed their future forever. Like many family photographs of the era, it captures the bonds that existed long before the tragedy of war.
Generously shared by his descendants, this rare photograph reminds us that before he became a soldier, Arthur was a beloved son and part of a close-knit family. More than a century later, it continues to preserve the memory of the young man behind the uniform and the family who never forgot him.
Charles Arblaster
This photograph shows Charles Arblaster at Duntroon after returning from leave in 1913, posing proudly with a koala in the Australian bush. Taken before the outbreak of the First World War, it captures a young officer enjoying a moment of peace before his life was shaped by military service and the hardships of the Western Front.
Generously shared by the Arblaster family, this rare photograph provides a glimpse of the man behind the uniform. More than a century later, it preserves the memory of Charles not only as a respected officer, but as a son, a family member and a young Australian whose story continues to inspire new generations.
Downie Dodd
This family portrait shows Downie Dodd on the far right, alongside his parents, siblings and extended family in the years before the First World War. Also pictured on the far left is his brother, James Dodd, who would later enlist alongside Downie and serve with the 53rd Battalion before returning safely to Australia in 1919.
Generously shared by the Dodd family, this remarkable photograph preserves a family together before war altered their lives forever. It reminds us that behind every soldier was a family whose story was also shaped by the events of 1916, and whose memories continue to be cherished more than a century later.