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Papers of Willie Neville Majoribank Chester
MSS 364

Collection Title

Papers of Willie Neville Majoribank Chester

Collection Identifier

MSS 364

Inclusive date(s)

1915 to 1918

Extent and Medium

1 box

Category

Military

Subject: Organisation(s)

Collection Description

Copy of a brief diary kept during the First World War by Willie Chester, 1915-1918, measuring 120cm x 90cm. His diary describes shipboard life; training in Egypt and England; and the frustrations and horrors of the campaigns in France and Belgium.

Administrative / Biographical history

Willie Neville Majoribank Chester was born in Papua New Guinea, and served as a Private in the Australian Army Medical Corps, Special Reinforcements, from 29 November 1915 to 10 June 1919. Chester enlisted at the Town Hall, Sydney, NSW, on the 28 August 1915, and entered Holsworthy Camp, NSW, on 28 September 1915, in DCoy, 9th Battalion. He transferred to the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) on 29 November 1915. He embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT A61 Kanowna on 29 March 1916, and disembarked in Egypt on 7 May 1916. He left Egypt on 29 May 1916, for England, disembarking on 11 June 1916 at Plymouth. He departed from Folkestone on the Princess Victoria on 16 July 1916, and arrived at Boulogne, France on 16 July 1916.

Chester served with the 2nd Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps in France and Belgium from 1916-1918. He returned to Australia on the 10 June 1919.

References:
Ian Chester
First World War Unit Embarkation Roll
National Archives of Australia, April 2006

Acquisition Details

The collection was acquired from Willie Chester's son Ian Chester in 1999.

Access Restrictions

Other

The collection is available for research.

Reproduction Restrictions

No copying is permitted without the permission of the copyright owners.

Existence and Location of Orginals

Special Collections, UNSW Canberra

Disclaimer

This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed above. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy.

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Items in Collection

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