Does this found military photo belong in your family archive?

WHEN St Andrews Uniting Church closed on Sturt Street, Buninyong RSL president, Ron Fleming made a discovery during the clean-up.

“I came across a military photo of a servicewoman. There are no identifying marks on the photo, but I’ve always had a feeling that military photographs shouldn’t be without a home, and if I had left it behind, it would have gone in the skip,” he said.

“The photo indicates she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps, WRAAC, most likely being one of the early officers in this new corps. The time of the photo is estimated around 1951 to 1952.

“She is wearing the uniform of the Australian Women’s Army Service, AWAS, disbanded in 1947, while waiting issue of the new highland green WRAAC uniform and corps badge.

Researching and reaching out to congregational contacts, Mr Fleming hasn’t yet found any leads to the woman, but knows there’s still a chance he could find out who this lady is, or what family she belongs to.

“The possible link to St Andrews is she was a member before enlistment, daughter or relative of a member, or someone found the photo in an opportunity shop and gave her a home at St Andrews,” he said.

“Unfortunately, many such photos find their way into these shops, markets and garage sales, and they are purchased for the frame, with the photo being destroyed.”

Mr Fleming estimates the woman could have been in her early or mid-20s in the image.

“She wouldn’t have been able to enlist before she was 18, but she may have been older, as mature aged people entered the military for a change of career, so it’s hard to judge.”

If anyone recognises the servicewoman in the picture, believes they may have a link or an idea to advance to the next step of identification, email Mr Fleming via [email protected].

“The ultimate would be to return the photograph to the family. That’s not always possible, because a lot of times, those photos come from the end of an estate, but I’m keen to find out,” he said.

“The real message is that there’s a servicewoman who’s put on the Australian military uniform, has served her country, maybe overseas at a later date, and it’s a challenge for myself and the community to see if we can identify her.

“If we manage to find a name, there will be another whole story in that itself.”