Historical information

During the Second World War, the Bendigo-based 38th Battalion was a militia unit undertaking garrison duties on the mainland. This set of images are from a set donated to the museum by the family of Robert Hillman. In August 1944 the 38th was disbanded to supply reinforcements to various AIF and CMF units. Hillman served in the 16th Battalion. These selected images from his collection are representative of the set of 97 undigitized photographs from official sources illustrating conditions in various areas of New Guinea where the 16th Battalion served.

They show the local indigenous population and emphasize that the war affected not just the combatants but was a confronting and disruptive experience for the civilian population caught up in the war.

Whilst many are reproduced elsewhere, the images are important in the context of being significant to Robert Hillman as illustrative of his experiences militarily and culturally.

Physical description

Black and white photographs

Inscriptions & markings

Each photograph has a descriptive inscription on the rear which is reproduced in the images in this record