His images looked beyond the stirring accounts of battle reported at home to reveal the dry, forbidding landscape, tired troops in squalid dugouts, and the horrendous task of burying the dead. 

Yesterday, mayor Gary Rush announced that the Australian War Memorial’s exhibition of Sir Charles’ haunting images, entitled A Camera On Gallipoli, will officially open at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum on March 12. 

“Bathurst Regional Council is very pleased to be hosting this important exhibition at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum as a fitting tribute and acknowledgment to our war history, especially in this centenary of Anzacs year,” Cr Rush said. 

The exhibition showcases a series of 39 candid photographs captured by the 62-year-old Sir Charles while he served with the Australian Imperial Force in Turkey in 1915. 

“Sir Charles Ryan’s photographs reflect the Australians’ true experience of war,” Australian War Memorial director Dr Brendan Nelson said. 

“He also managed to capture the true spirit of the Australian soldiers who fought at Gallipoli. 

“Their mateship, stoicism and endurance underpin the photographs and embody the meaning of the Anzac spirit.” 

Behind the photographs in the exhibition is the story of Charles Ryan’s remarkable life. He served as a doctor with the Turkish army in 1877-78, treated Ned Kelly at Glenrowan, was a leading Melbourne surgeon and gave long service as a senior military officer. 

A Camera On Gallipoli will be on display at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum in Howick Street from March 12 until June 1.