HENRY SMERDON (Harry) HOLMES was born in 1897 at the family property, ’Sauchieburn’, 17 km north of Ballarat, in the Ascot district. He was the youngest of four children. After finishing his education at St Patrick’s College, Ballarat, Henry joined the Holmes family farming interests. At the age of 18 he enlisted and served with AIF in Egypt, France and Belgium 1915-1918. Henry served at the famous battlegrounds of Ypes and Somme in the Australian Army 8th Battalion. He was a Driver with the 4th D.A.C. The postcard is of "The Ascot" boys. Includes [Samuel] Gordon Spittle, Henry [Harry] Holmes's first cousin, and other Ascot lads and district connections: neighbours, Ascot State School classmates and football mates from Clunes / Creswick districts. [Research by a granddaughter of Henry Smerdon Holmes, Jane Dyer (nee Chatham) 2024] Ray Blight and Gordon Les Sim were former students of the Ballarat School of Mines. Les Sim was associated with Sim and Co. hardware and wood merchants). Eight soldiers of the AIF. They are the tent mates of Harry Holmes a Driver with the 5th D.A.C. The names of the soldiers are John Raymond (Ray) Blight, Joseph Fawcett, John Joseph (Jack) Nase, Gordon Spittle, Harry Holmes, Harold Joseph Reid, James Leslie (Les) Sim, Leslie John Walters. handwritten in pen on verso "This is a snap of our tent mates. Reading left to right. Back row, Jack Nase, Joe Fawcett, H. Reid. Middle - Les Walters, Ray Blight, Gordon Les Sim, (Sim and Co wood merchants) and Harryworld war 1, chatham, jack nase, chatham family archive, joe fawcett, h. reid, blight, sim, les walters, ray blight, gordon les sim, pickford, world war, gordon spittle, harry holmes, les sim, horace pickford, world war one, aif, armed services

A khaki coloured cardboard booklet with black information on the front. Top right hand side reads 7610-66-096-4848. Below the Australian Army Insignia are the details of the Booklet. Yo the left of the Insignia there is a stamp which reads PDW. There are two punch holes down the left hand side. The booklet is covered in plastic.australia - armed forces - service manuals, land warfare

A khaki coloured cardboard booklet with black information on the front. Top right hand side reads 7610-66-096-4848. Above the Australian Army Insignia there is a stamp which reads HQ 6 Cons Gp, Library. Top left hand side reads ACC No 17 in black texta. There are two punch holes down the left hand side. The booklet is covered in plastic.australia - armed forces - service manuals, land warfare

A khaki coloured cardboard booklet with black information on the front. Top right hand side reads 7610-66-096-4848. Above this is the W.O. 2 Moir. Below the Australian Army Insignia are the details of the Booklet. There are two punch holes down the left hand side. The booklet is covered in plastic. Amendment List No 1 is loose in the booklet.australia - armed forces - service manuals, land warfare, w.o. 2 moir

A khaki coloured cardboard booklet with black information on the front. Top right hand side reads 7610-66-096-4848. Below the Australian Army Insignia are the details of the Booklet. There are two punch holes down the left hand side. The booklet is covered in plastic.australia - armed forces - service manuals, land warfare

A faded blue coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. Handwritten in read text reads 37 A.D .Pl which is underlined in red. Top right hand side there is a stamp which reads 6 TPT COLM and under this is DSN 7610-66-034-5750. There are two punch holes and one metal staple down the left hand side of the booklet.australia - armed forces - service manuals, field engineering, mine warfare, mine anti-personnel m18a1

A blue coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. Top right hand corner there is the name McLean and under this reads DSN 7610-66-043-7060. Under this the then number 3 in black texta and under this there is a stamp which reads HQ CRAASC 3 Div, Raynard Street, COBURG Vic. There is the Australian Army Insignia and under this is the title of the booklet. There are two punch holes down the left hand side of the booklet.australia - armed forces - service manuals, infantry training, infantry platoon weapons, 7.62mm self loading rifle and bayonet., 7062 automatic rifle

A blue coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. Near the top right corner reads Army Code No 70118. There are two punch holes and two rusted metal staples down the left hand side.british armed forces - service manuals, signal communications, security

A khaki green coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. At the top firght hand corner reads 7610-66-093-7728. the booklet is covered in plastic and there are two metal srews down the left hand side.At the top of the booklet written in red texta is the name WO Noble.australia - armed forces - service manuals, training, training command, individual training

A khaki green coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. The booklet is covered in plastic and there are two punch holes down the left hand side.At the top of the page written in both red texta and ink is the name WO Nobleaustralia - armed forces - service manuals, training command, army training system

A grey coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. Top right hand side reads 7610-66-107-1144. There are two punch holes down the left hand side and the booklet is cover with plastic.australia - armed forces - service manuals, land warfare, tropical operations

A cream coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. There is also a blue coloured cardboard under the outside cover. Top right hand side reads 7610-++-117-4182. The booklet is held together by a metal fasteneraustralia - armed forces - service manuals, land warfare, land force operations

A brown coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. Top right reads DSN 7610-66-054-1713. Under the Australian Army Insigia are the details of the booklet. Down the left hand side there are two punch holes.australia - armed forces - service manuals, supervisor, training

A dark blue coloured booklet with a thick cardbaord cover. there is a white sticker on the front with P 192 writeen in blue ink. Down the spine of the booklet in gold text reads Rpyal Engineers Supplementary Pocket Book No. 5C Engineer Construction Plant - 1961. There is a loose page which is Amendment No. 1 inside the booklet.australia - armed forces - service manuals, engineers, construction plant

A cream coloured cardboard cover with black information. Top righ hand side reads 7610-66-010-2575. There are two metal staples down the left hand side.australia - armed forces - service manuals, training

A cream coloured cardboard cover with black information. Top righ hand side reads 7610-66-010-2575. Written in red texta is WO Noble. There are two stamps with the information WAUR Library No 3.There are two metal staples down the left hand side.australia - armed forces - service manuals, training, wo noble

A cream coloured cardboard cover with black information. Top right hand corner reads 7610-66-027-1609. There is the Australian Coat of Arms Insignia with the title of the booklet under this. There are two metal staples down the left hand sideaustralia - armed forces - service manuals, raasc, expenses, fuel/light and forage

A greyish coloured light cardboard cover with black information. At the top of the booklet written in black texta is Library 1. Aslo at the top is the name Sabben. There is a scetch in the front of a soldier with a rigle on his right hand shoulder. There are two metal staples down the left hand side. Part of the cover is torn.british armed forces - service manuals, field engineering, mine warfare, field defences and obstacles

A khaki green coloured cardboard cover with black information on the front. Top right hand side reads 7610-66-107-6808. there are two punch holes down the left hand side. The booklet is covered in plastic. There is also an Army Insignia on the coveraustralia - armed forces - service manuals, land warfare, physical training

A blue coloured cardboard cover with black information on it. top right hand corner reads WO Code No 9705. There are three punch holes and two metal staples down the left hand side. Inside of the booklet there are some loose pages.australia - armed forces - service manuals, field engineering, mine warfare

A greenish coloured cardboard coer with black information. There is a code near the top right corner which reads WO Code No: 9765. There is a dirty white sticker on the top left hand corner (this covers one of the punch holes) There are three punch holes and two metal staples down the left hand side.australia - armed forces - service manuals, field engineering, mine warfare

A light green coloured cardboard cover with information in black. There is the Austrlian Coat of Arms with the title of the booklet under this. Top right hand corner reads 7610-66-024-4120. The booklet is held together with a blue binding.australia - armed forces - service manuals, infantry training, infantry platoon weapons, 66mm light anti-tank weapon - m72

A blue coloured cardboard cover with information in black. There is the Austrlian Coat of Arms with the title of the booklet under this. The booklet is held together with a blue binding.australia - armed forces - service manuals, infantry training, infantry platoon weapons, 66mm light anti-tank weapon - m72

A faded blue coloured cardboard cover with red information on the front.. At the top right had side reads WO WALL IC in blue ink. Under this is a stamped number of 287. In part of the 8 reads WO Code No. 8592. Under the word Training there is a stamp with the number 71. There are three punch holes down the left hand side.british armed forces - service manuals, infantry training, hand grenades, infantry platoon weapons

A faded blue coloured cardboard cover with red information on the front.. At the top right had side reads RSM in blue ink, under this reads WO Code No. 8592. There are three punch holes down the left hand side. Amendment No: 7 and No. 8 are inside of the booklet.british armed forces - service manuals, infantry training, hand grenades, infantry platoon weapons

A blue coloured carboard cover with black information. At the top of the booklet there is the name Sgt Hodden written in black texta. Under this reads 7610-66-015-7401. There is a blue binding down the left hand side and you can see the marks of three metal staples that are rusty. Throughout the booklet there are several tags with information on each of them marking an spot in the booklet.australia - armed forces - service manuals, infantry training

A blue coloured cardboard coer with black information. top right hand side reads DSN 7610-66041-6416. There are two punch holes down the left hand side.There i a folded faded document which is held together by a rusty metal staple inside the booklet.australia - armed forces - service manuals, infantry platoon weapons, m 60 machine gun 7.62

A multicoloured green/cream plastic cover with black information. Top right hand side handwritten in black texta is 67/7/118. Under this reads 7610-66-023-5721. There are two rusty metal staples down the left hand side.australia - armed forces - service manuals, signals

A green/cream coloured plastic cover with black informaion on it. Top right hand side reads 7610-66-023-8400. The booklet is held together by two metal screws which are in the inside of the cover.australia - armed forces - service manuals, air

A green/cream coloured plastic cover with black informatio. Top right corner reads 7610-66-024-7173. Down he left hand side there are tow rusty metal staples.australia - armed forces - service manuals, intelligence