I have just bought this photograph of Italian troops on board ship on their way to the battle for Ethiopia in 1935.
This is what the caption says:
“In case we sink…
Enroute to Eritrea – Italian Soldiers, in this exclusive photo, are given life-belt instruction on the forward deck of the S. S. Gange as it carried them towards Eritrea and the front lines of the Ethiopian conflict recently.”
Dated: 24 October 1935.
At 5:00 am on 3 October 1935, the Italian commander, General Emilio De Bono crossed the Mareb River and advanced into Ethiopia from Eritrea without a declaration of war.
Martin Plaut 
Thanx for this post, Martin.
I find it surprising that most of the troops seem older than the usual Brit photos of 18-25 year olds. Maybe in that time soldiers were older on average. Does anyone know anything about this?
Hello …where did you get the photos….
I bought them on Ebay