Veterans search for 101 fellow soldiers in 1966 photo

A group of veterans are searching for the names of fellow soldiers in a photo during training.

The group found a photo of WA soldiers from 1966, with no names attributed to the young faces, and began a search to identify each person in the photo.

The photo shows 101 soldiers from the Citizen Military Force, a group of conscripts and volunteers mainly from regional WA, with many originally from the 16th Battalion which comprised soldiers from Geraldton and Perth.

The group later went on to become part of the 28th Battalion.

The photo was taken at a training camp in Northam in 1966 before some of the men were sent to Vietnam.

The group have so far been able to locate 32 of the men in the photo, most of them from Mid West towns.

Geraldton resident Chris Caldwell said it was important to make an effort while these veterans were still alive.

“We are starting to see less veterans; most of the men in this photo are 75 to 79 years old,” Mr Caldwell.

“It means quite a lot to these men and their families when we can show them this photo.”

Mr Caldwell said the group hoped to even hold a reunion if they could locate enough of the men.

To contact the group, contact Mr Caldwell on 0429 919 899 or Ross Johnson on 0428 948 848.