The troops went from warm Egypt to appalling wintry weather. The men had only summer uniforms and no rugs for their horses. Their duties were varied and mostly behind the lines: it was hard to know what to do with mounted troops in trench warfare. Townley's unit was used in reconnaissance before some of the battles on the Somme. The cavalry got bogged down in the mud at the battle of Ypres in 1917, and was withdrawn for further training. In early 1918 it re-entered the front line and did skilled work scouting and protecting advancing men at Villers-Bretonneux. It was the advance guard at the attack on the Hindenburg line in September 1918. By this stage the men were working with French, British or Canadian troops, and the Australian troops did not work as an individual unit under Australian command.

Townley fell in love with an English woman whom he met while on leave in England. He survived the war, and greeted its end with relief and thanksgiving. Some months after his return to Australia, he travelled again to England, married, and stayed for several years.

Townley's family was circumspect in what they donated to a public collection. Townley's photographs show troops relaxing in Egypt, undertaking everyday duties including looking after their horses, and riding in the Victory Parade in London at the end of the war. Picture postcards of the Somme River and villages in Belgium represent his time on the Western Front. Nothing in Townley's material even hints at the horror of the trenches.

However, his collection includes a couple of 1920s photographs of the war cemetery at Paschendale, where Townley had fought in the 3rd Battle of Ypres. Townley was living in England in the early 1920s, and he may have been one of the relatively few Australians who were able to make a trip to the battlefields and visit the graves of friends and family members.

Townley, one of his mates and a baby donkey in Egypt, 1915.		Townley's parents would have been relieved to receive this photograph, which shows their son in good health and in safety.
Townley and two friends, 'Café au bord du Nil, Maadi, Egypt'		There are two copies of this photograph in the collection. On one, Townley has identified the occasion as Christmas Day, 1916; on the second, his son suggested it was taken on his 21st Birthday, 10 February 1916. The officers are in their best uniform, and relaxing comfortably. Evidence is confused here as well, because Townley spent Christmas 1916 in France; and in February 1916 he was still a Corporal, not a Sergeant as shown here.
Postcard showing the Somme River		The area surrounding the Somme was the site of some of the bloodiest battles of the War. Townley wrote to his sweetheart on this postcard of the Somme, showing what the area looked like before the battles, to apologise for not replying to her letters. Townley, like many other Australians, picked up some French and used some French phrases in his writings from Europe. His apology at the end can be translated '… it is now too late [at night] to write letters. I hope you understand. Then, until we meet again …'
Post card showing Townley's horse, 'Old Bill', with an Australian soldier in November 1918.		After the war, the horses of the Light Horse Brigades were not allowed to return to Australia because of strict quarantine laws. They were inspected, ranked according to age and condition, and then transferred to artillery battalions, sold to local civilians, or killed. We do not know what happened to 'Old Bill', which had been with the Australian Light Horse since 1914. Townley sent the postcard to Miss Gwyn, telling her how he had heard that the war was over. He is not openly sentimental about his horse, but says 'It is not a bad photo'.
Letter to Miss Gwyn, May 1919		In May 1919 Townley found himself on a boat en route back to Australia. In this letter, from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, Townley describes the 'blighters' who pestered the returning troops to buy their souvenirs. Many Australian soldiers expressed superiority to those of non-white racial background, and Townley was no exception.
Australian graves near the memorial at Paschendale, France.		We do not know who took this photograph in April 1922, or who wrote on the back. Perhaps Townley made a special journey to France from England to visit the grave of a friend. If so, he was one of the few Australians who had the opportunity to tend the graves of their loved ones.