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A E Quartly.png

Cabinet Photograph
H. Dorner - Photographer
Auburn Street, Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia
c. 1891


Identified on the lower front of the cabinet photograph's mount by his initials "AEQ" and a fully signed inscription to his "English cousin Dody" on the photo's reverse side, Arthur Ellis Quartly was born about 1872 in New Zealand. His parents were Edwin Charles Quartly and Mary Amy Ellis. The family moved to New South Wales at some point prior to 1891, the approximate date of this photograph.

Arthur was photographed in what appears to be the uniform of the 2nd Regiment, New South Wales Volunteer Infantry. His uniform closely matches those seen in a group photo of members of E Company, 4th Regiment, New South Wales Volunteer Infantry also taken in the 1890s and housed at the Australian War Memorial. His hat badge closely matches one of the 2nd Regiment (also housed at the Australian War Memorial) that once belonged to a certain Leopold Ferguson who was a resident of Goulburn.

Based on a few references I have found, his uniform would have been of a khaki/drab color with red facings. He wears a whitened buff leather belt which would have been replaced with brown leather equipment in the field. Attached to the belt is a buff leather bayonet frog holding a Martini-Henry “lunger” bayonet. 

Slouch hats such as his are first seen with Australian units in the later 1800s. In 1890 official regulations stated the hart worn by troops in Victoria and Tasmania would have the right-side brim turned up and the left side would be turned up in all other Australian states. The slouch hat would not be officially adopted by the Australian military until 1903. 

He is armed with a 577/450 caliber Martini-Henry Rifle. A lever action, single shot, breech-loading rifle, the Martini-Henry fired a 480-grain lead bullet with a muzzle velocity of 1350 fps. 

Quartly's military career seems to have been limited to volunteer service in Australia and I can find no evidence that he served overseas during either the Anglo-Boer War or during World War One.

Arthur Ellis Quartly married Deborah Jane Hancock (also from New Zealand) at Newtown, New South Wales on 11 March 1903. The couple appears to have had one daughter - Lela Marjory - born in 1905. He appears to have been employed as an attorney.

Arthur Ellis Quartly died at Balwyn, Victoria on 7 October 1955.

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