Famous picture taken after mass
On Sunday, January 10, 1915 Capt. Charles Albert Barnes, of the 11th Battalion, wrote a short note in his diary.
Nearly 100 years later, it provides a vital clue to the origins of the famous photograph of the battalion on Egypt's Cheops Pyramid.
"After church this morning the whole battalion was marched up to the pyramid (Old Cheops) and we had a photo took or at least several of them," he wrote.
It was possibly the last photo taken of Barnes, who was killed at Gallipoli on April 28, 1915.
Barnes is one of 703 men in the Cheops photograph.
_The West Australian _ is supporting a WA Genealogical Society project to name the men in the iconic image.
The society has divided a digital copy of the photo into grids, so each man is numbered - and Barnes is number 684.
According to the WAGS website tribute, compiled by webmaster Chris Loudon, Barnes was born in London in 1880 and migrated to WA with his parents.
He went to Perth Grammar School and was working as chief clerk for the Western Australian Trustee Company at the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
As detailed on the WAGS site, Barnes had also pursued military service, and had previously been gazetted as 2nd lieutenant of the Guildford Infantry in 1900.
He served with the 4th Contingent, WA Mounted Infantry as a lieutenant in the Boer War in South Africa and was awarded the Queen's Medal with three clasps, the site says.
After his return to Perth in May 1901, he served with the 11th Infantry Regiment as a captain in 1904.
By August 1914, he was serving with the 88th Infantry, and then joined the newly formed 11th Battalion and was appointed to command C Company. He sailed with the battalion on the transport vessel Ascanius from Fremantle on October 31, 1914.
After landing at Gallipoli, Barnes was in command of his men in the heavy fighting around Steel's Post on the afternoon of April 28, 1915, where he was killed in action, aged 35.
Author Ian Gill's book, Fremantle to France, records that Barnes was mentioned in the Army Corps routine orders "for conspicuous bravery at the landing".
Barnes had two brothers who also served in WWI.
Gordon Howard Barnes joined the 11th Battalion in December 1915, and was killed in action in August 1918.
John Viveash Barnes enlisted in September 1916 and was a member of the 51st Battalion and was sent home as an invalid in March 1918.
The WA Genealogical Society and Returned and Services League will host a commemorative service on January 10 at the State War Memorial in Kings Park to commemorate the centenary of the photograph on the pyramid.
Descendants are invited to attend and take part in a group photo after the service.
Visit wags.org.au for details.
