Geoffrey Cunningham Papua New Guinea Photographs

A collection of 243 photographs taken by Geoffrey Cunningham while working in Papua New Guinea from 1919 to 1924.

Subjects include peace celebrations in Rabaul in 1919 at the end of World War I with local dancers and military parades, portraits and town scenes, Sepik expedition scenes and images from plantations. Locations include New Britain, New Ireland, West Sepik and North Solomon Provinces of Papua New Guinea, as well as Unea Island, Witu Group.

Geoffrey Cunningham

Geoffrey Cunningham served in the Australian Infantry Force in Egypt and France from 1915 to 1917. He was wounded in action in 1916 and was discharged on his return to Australia. He re-enlisted as a Private in the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (N & MEF) and was sent to Rabaul in July 1919. After a short period of military service he was seconded to civil administration and appointed Plantation Overseer on 14 June 1920. He worked for the Department of Agriculture at Rabaul in 1920 and 1921 while still a member of the Army. In May 1921 he returned to Sydney on leave and subsequently returned to PNG. He died on 9 March 1931 at Kieta, Bougainville.