LIVING PICTURE ENLISTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 February 1917, Page 8

LIVING PICTURE ENLISTS

TATTOOED MAN IN KHAKI. Staff Sergeant-Major A. E. Newton, who had' been engaged for two years on the A. and I" Staff, and who enlisted* recently at the Melbourne Town Hall Recruiting Depot as a private, is the jthost tattooed man in the Australian Imperial Force, if not in the Commonwealth.. He is well developed, and his chest expansion in. 4S inches. He is tattooed practically over the whole of his body from his feet" to his neck. On his back is a battle royal in mid-air, five eagles being portrayed fighting over a rabbit. The scene is a realistic one, tne birds from tip to tip of wings being from Gin to Sin- Covering his cut>.-.c is a full-rigged ship, worked out in the 'minutest detail as t,o rigging. The space occupied-on his chest by the ship is a foot by a foot and a half. On his thigh appeal's a basket of t'ruif of every variety, eight colors being worked intothe scheme. On his feet peacocks have been worked, and on other parts of Ida body appear a fine 'specimen of the British lion, a good piece of work being a bird butt; ling with a snake, which is on the calf of his leg. Extending down the left thigh from the hip to the knee." is a cobra about 4in thick. Other tattoo marks include rcseu, and birds in flight, fttaff Sergeant-Major Newton saw eleven years' service with the- British Army in India, being attached to tne Soottinh Rifles, and he has also seen service at Aldershot and Portsmouth, and is an expert in bayonet work. He was- presented with a wristlet waten from a bayonet instruction class of staff sergeant-majors at Royal Park on December 1, 11)16.'; Chatting at the recruiting depot with the medical "sta'ff, Staff Sergeant-Major Newton said that. while in India, a friendly rivalry arose as to who could bear the most tattooing, and he won. He inti_ mated that the ship design on his chest required eight sittings of five hours each, and wan a most painful operation. The eight-color work in connection with the fruit design wasi th© most, painful proceeding of all, and required many days to complete. Staff Sergeant-Major Newton said that he was glad to be going oh active service, as he was. anxious to use his ftpecial bayonet knowledge to jnore advantage than he. had been able to .do in the instruction schools in Victoria. I*. »,\ ; - ' . •,