WW1 Australian Army Anzac Camel Corps KIA casualty set medals death plaque Gaza

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WW1 Australian Army Anzac Camel Corps KIA casualty set medals death plaque Gaza:
$4146.56

WW1 Australian 2nd Battle of Gaza casualty, 1st Battalion Imperial Camel Corps medals, plaque, scroll and picture to Private Wilhelm Konsten, a Finnish born, Imperial Russian subject who as a Russian Reservist had to obtain permission from the Russian Ambassador in Australia to enlist with the A.I.F.

British War and Victory Medals, impressed named 1026 PTE W. KONSTEN. ANZ. CAMEL CORPS A.I.F.; Memorial Plaque named WILHELM KONSTEN; Memorial Scroll named to Pte Wilhelm Konsten 1st Anz. Bn. I.C.C. A.I.F.; condolence slip; uniformed photograph next to the Australian Flag. The last three items have been glued to a card backing and would appear to have been previously framed. They come with copies of service records and Commonwealth War Graves Commission extract and war diary extract.

Wilhelm Konsten was born in 1895 in Romo, Kontiolahti, Finland, which at the time was part of the Russian Empire. A seaman by trade, he was in Australia and had to apply to the Imperial Russian Consulate in Sydney for permission to enlist into the Australian Expeditionary Force. Approval was granted and he enlisted into the A.I.F. on 8/2/1916 and was posted to the 1st Reinforcements of the Imperial Camel Corps. He left Sydney bound for the Egypt on 27/5/1916 and marched into the Imperial Camel Corps at Abbassia in July 1916 and was posted to the 3rd Company (3 Coy, 1st Anzac Battalion I.C.C. as of 11/11/1916). He was killed in action during the Second Battle of Gaza on 19th April 1917 as the Imperial Camel Brigade advanced from Dumbbell Hill. The 1st Battalion Imperial Camel Brigade advanced to occupy Tank Redoubt on the left of the line, which they did after suffering greatly from artillery and rifle fire. While the 3rd Battalion Imperial Camel Brigade crossed the Gaza to Beersheba Road and temporarily occupied both "Jack" and "Jill" positions to the east of Khan Sihan.They withdrew when the 4th Light Horse Brigade on their right was forced to withdraw during an Ottoman counterattack. Sadly, Konsten has no known grave, and it is highly likely that he was killed around the Tank Redoubt, and his body lost when the battalion had to withdraw. As a result of the battle, the Imperial Camel Brigade lost some 345 men.

A scarce grouping, with Konsten probably being the only Russian Finn in his unit, let alone being one of the very few in the entire Australian Imperial Force.

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