The first photographer commissioned by the Australian government during World War II was Damien Parer (1912–44). He served behind the lens in the Middle East and North Africa, before joining Western forces in New Guinea in 1942. Parer was tragically killed by Japanese gunfire in 1944, while covering American operations in Palau.
Photograph by unknown photographer commissioned by the Department of Information Film Unit from the collection of the Australian War Memorial, 044860.
