Description:A New Zealand Rifle Brigade soldier in a studio portrait with a donkey, a rider dressed as a jockey, and a civilian. This intriguing photograph may have been taken to advertise donkey rides which were a feature of fairs held on Milford Common, in which case the man on the right may be the proprietor.
After fighting at the Somme and at the Messines Ridge, the NZRB were considered a valuable source of combat experience. Consequently, the 5th Battalion was transferred to Brocton Camp in September 1917 to train fresh drafts. This was to be their home and headquarters until their return to New Zealand in May 1919. The ANZACs were nicknamed 'The Dinks' on the camp as they were considered to be good, honest (dinkum) soldiers. Their mascot was a Harlequin Great Dane dog named Freda, whose grave can still be seen on the site of the camp.
Tragically, in the Autumn of 1918 the Spanish Flu epidemic swept through the camp, claiming over 70 of the New Zealanders and over 200 of the German POW's housed there. Their graves are in the Cannock Chase War Cemetery.