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Size 690 x 990mm.
In 1903 the Perth Rifle Volunteers were renamed the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment. At this stage the only permanent soldiers in Australia were Engineers, Coastal Defence Gunners and a handful of Staff Officers. On the outbreak of WWI, Australia had a militia of about 100 000 people. The Defence Act 1903 stipulated that the Australian Militia Forces were only to be employed in the Defence of Australia. Hence the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) was raised for service overseas. This is commonly referred to as the 1st AIF. The term of enlistment was for “the duration of hostilities plus 6 months”. The 11th Australian Infantry Battalion AIF was raised at Black Boy Hill Camp on 17 August 1914 and recruited from the militia units.
The now famous picture of the 11th Battalion AIF at the Cheops pyramid in Egypt in 1915 is shown throughout military history displays and books the world over. The picture was taken just before the landing at Anzac Cove. Not many of the soldiers in this picture survived the 8 month campaign. After the Campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the 11th Battalion AIF went on to serve with distinction in France and Belgium from 1916-18. They returned to Australia at the end of the war and disbanded on the 5 February 1919.
