Historical information

Taken in 1944 in Bonegilla, Victoria by Captain E.C. Johnston, this photograph depicts soldiers of the 1st Australian Corps Signals training battalion releasing carrier pigeons from a portable loft for their daily exercise.

Significance

The 1st Australian Corps Signals was a branch of the Australian Imperial Airforce that was active during World War Two. One of the tasked carried out by 1st Australian Corps Signals was to send messages through the use of carrier pigeons. Carrier pigeons were most commonly used by the Allied Forces to send messages from the front line trenches or advancing units.
Edgar Charles Johnston (1896-1988) was an aviator and public servant. In WW1 he served with the Australian Imperial Force, and later joined the Royal Flying Corps. For his service in the Royal Flying Corps he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which assisted him in becoming the assistant director-general in 1939 of the Commonwealth Department of Aviation. During World War II he was heavily engaged in the department’s activities in support of the war effort.

Physical description

Black and white square reproduced photograph on rectangular archival paper

Inscriptions & markings

Obverse:
Bonegilla Victoria 1944-05-03/
Carrier Pigeons being released for their daily exercise/
from a portable loft of the 1st Signals training Battalion/
Photograph made 3 May 1944, by E.C. Johnston/
copied from CD Image supplied from/
Australian War Memorial collection/
Copyright/
Use of this image for the/
Robert O'Hara Burke Memorial Museum, Beechworth/
enhanced to remove moir effect/

Reverse:
7993.2/