Historical information

John (Jack) Dudley Cullen was the first person from St Kilda to enlist in World War I. He lived at 23 Argyle Street (now Waterloo Crescent), St Kilda. An electrician with three years service with the militia behind him, Jack enlisted on 18 August 1914 at the age of 21. By 20 October that year he was sailing to Egypt on the HMAT Shropshire as a member of the 5th Battery, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade. He served in the Middle East for a short time before being hospitalised with enteric fever and returning home to Australia.

Physical description

Pay book with tan coloured material cover and containing white pages printed in black, with handwritten and stamped entries.

Inscriptions & markings

CULLEN J in pencil on front cover
Notations on first page identifying the soldier as No. 1026 Jack Cullen, the date of attestation 18/8/1914, and his age on enlistment 21 years. Stamped 5th BTY. 2ND F.A. BDE. A.I.F.
Subsequent pages show notations of amounts and dates paid (based on a net daily rate of 3 shillings) from 21 October 1914 to 30 May 1916.