Historical information

This is an official group portrait of the 2/1st Field Butchery Platoon who are identified as:
Left to right, back row: VX33117 Corporal (Cpl) F M Hogan; NX85618 Private (Pte) A J Nicol; VX127710 Pte E C J Kemp; VX143647 Lance Corporal (LCpl) L G Lobb; QX44905 Pte C L Adams; SX25540 Lance Sergeant R J Gray; NX193508 Pte K A Burgess; VX5112 Pte J T Roberts; NX153073 Pte D J Evans; WX9743 Pte M F Lynch.
Middle row: QX49356 Pte L V Symes; QZ31697 Pte N R Underhill; QX16156 Staff Sergeant H L Cairns; VX19172 Lieutenant W H Thomas; VX55658 Sgt D W Craig; QX47082 Sgt E S Wilbraham; SX19778 Pte D Weatherald.
Front row: NX155215 Pte E Corrigan; QX56335 Pte E Corrigan; NX57204 LCpl W H Jackson; VX59081 Pte B Moszkowicz; SX31901 Pte J Lambre; NX94941 Cpl R A Hanson; QX40009 Pte T G O’Neill; VX84971 Pte S J Welsh.
The photo was taken under the command of 1 Aust Base Sub Area and Lt R B Irving.
According to the Australian War Memorial website, the photographer was David Tennant Gaery Eastman and the photo was taken on 9 March 1945. In the AWM collection there is also a photo of members of the platoon at the unit slaughter yards in Milne Bay, New Guinea (REF: AWM 0703790).
An overview of the history of the unit can be found at https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/2/1st_Field_Butchery_Company
Leslie George Lobb, the father of the donor, was the platoon sergeant. He had multiple copies of this photo, which may have been obtained with the aim of distributing them to other platoon members.
Leslie George Lobb - born 15 July 1920 in Box Hill; married Elizabeth Annie Stephenson in 1954; died 14 Nov. 1997.
Leslie became a service station / garage proprietor at 352 Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert a business he took over from his father. An associated mechanical business operated under the name of Leo Green Motors, at the same address. The family lived next door at 354 Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert. Leslie's father Harry Lobb had operated at an adjoining property (350 Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert) as a fuel and ice merchant, before installing a petrol bowser to service the expanding motor car industry. The house at 354 Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert was removed and relocated by the family in 2000 to Mirboo North, Gippsland, Victoria, where it still stands.

Significance

The photo is a touchstone to local servicemen who served in World War 2.

Physical description

A B&W / sepia photo with a narrow white border of 25 men in uniform. They are standing / sitting in 3 distinct rows with the rear row standing and the other 2 sitting on a 'sandy' area with sapling eucalypts and a (?) corrugated iron shed in the background.

Inscriptions & markings

REAR: Purple photographer's stamp approximately in the centre: "Photograph No. MH [in lead pencil 87544] / Supplied by Military History / Section (S.D.9) / General Staff L H Q. / For personal enjoyment ONLY / and on condition that it will / not be reproduced in any form."