Skip to main content
Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Date1927
Object numberANMS0831[016]
NamePhotograph
MediumSilver gelatin print on paper
DimensionsOverall: 116 x 70 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Margaret Kiley-Balas
DescriptionThis black and white photograph depicts the the Sydney Harbour Bridge during its construction between 1924 to 1932. It belonged to John Berchmans Kiley who served in the Royal Australian Navy.HistoryJohn Berchmans Kiley was born on 29 January 1910 and joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1925. He began his naval service on HMAS TINGIRA, a ship for boy sailors moored at Rose Bay in Sydney, where he trained for 15 months. He went on to join HMAS SYDNEY and travelled to England, returning home on HMAS AUSTRALIA. Kiley also served in HMAS MELBOURNE, and undertook four years of training at HMAS CERBERUS studying a range of gunnery courses. Kiley reached the rank of Leading Seaman, and to his great disappointment was invalidated out of the navy around 1930 due to respiratory illness.SignificanceThis photograph of the Sydney Harbour Bridge provides visual evidence of the places visited by Australian naval personnel in the 1920s.