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Portrait of an unidentified soldier and two unidentified women [inscribed Banks]

Object | Part of Photography collection

item details

NamePortrait of an unidentified soldier and two unidentified women [inscribed Banks]
ProductionBerry & Co.; photography studio; 1916- 1917; Wellington
Classificationstudio portraits, portraits, black-and-white negatives, gelatin dry plate negatives
Materialsphotographic gelatin, sheet glass, silver, photographic plates
Dimensions180, 163
Registration NumberB.045043
Credit linePurchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds

Overview

Portrait of a New Zealand soldier in the uniform of a Rifleman  in the Rifle Brigade, standing between two women, one seated and one standing. The older woman may be his mother, the younger may be a sister. Of the five New Zealand soldiers with the surname 'Banks' who served in the Rifle Brigade during WW1, we believe the man depicted in the photograph is most likely to be one of the following:

1/359 John Lindsay Banks, labourer, enlistment address c/- Mrs Ready, 49 Jackson St., Petone, next of kin: Mrs John L Banks (mother), Hamilton, Miss C. Banks (sister), c/- Post Office, Petone. He embarked from Wellington on 15 August 1914 with the Samoa Advance Party, and again on 16 October 1916 with the 12th Reinforcements.

54454 James Banks, labourer, next of kin: Miss C. Banks (sister), 6 Islington St., Petone, he embarked from Wellington 14 July 1917 with 'H' Company, 28th  Reinforcements, NZ Rifle Brigade.

23/1936 Leonard Rye Banks, upholsterer, next of kin Mrs S L Banks (mother), 60 Niblett St., Wanganui. He embarked from Wellington 4 March 1916 with 4th Reinforcements, NZ Rifle Brigade.

I know who this is

The Berry Boys
During World War I, around 120 Kiwi soldiers had their photograph taken at Wellington’s Berry & Co photography studio before they left New Zealand to fight in the war . These portraits are now in Te Papa’s collection.

In the lead-up to the World War I centenary (2014-18), Te Papa is working to identify these soldiers and the loved ones they are pictured with. We want to make contact with their descendants, and to record their stories.

Some soldiers have already been identified. For others, we only have the surname etched on the glass negative.

Contact us
If you have any information you can share about the Berry Boys - either a soldier or someone they are photographed with - please use the online form above. You can also email berryboys@tepapa.govt.nz or leave a phone message for us on 04 381 7129. You can also write to Berry Boys Project Team, Te Papa, PO Box 467, Wellington 6140.

To aid identification, please be sure to include the Te Papa registration number (B.044366, for example) for the photo in question.