Larkin, William Henry (Lieutenant, b.1920 - d.2001)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX129332 Lieutenant William Henry Larkin. Collection consists of correspondence, notebooks, a memoir, papers, souvenirs and ephemera relating to Larkin's time as a prisoner of war in the Zentsuji camp, Japan. Larkin was a member of Lark Force, and was captured by Japanese forces near Rabaul in January 1942. He was transferred to Zentsuji with other officers. In June 1945, the camp was split up into its various nationalities and transported to other camps throughout Japan. The Australians from Rabual were first sent to Sendai on the island of Honshu then onto Nishi Ashibetsu Camp on Hokkaido, though they were liberated just a few weeks later in August.

Correspondence includes: 33 letters, letter cards, telegrams and relayed messages from Larkin to members of his family while a prisoner of war and after liberation, covering dates August 1942 to September 1945, written from Zentsuji and Manilla, subjects include health, food, camp activities and personal messages; 33 letters, letter cards and telegrams written by members of the Larkin family to William Larkin while a prisoner of war, covering dates July 1943 to September 1945, relating to family matters; eight letters to the Larkin family from various strangers, relating to Radio Tokyo prisoner-of-war broadcast of 2 October 1942, on which a message from William Larkin was read; three letters from Larkin from the post-war period to various recipients; 13 letters written by various authors to William Larkin, covering dates December 1942 to March 1946, relating to personal issues, war service, prisoner-of-war experiences, and acknowledgements of condolences and sympathy.

The five notebooks cover various topics, including registers and copies of correspondence, lists of personal details and metrics, notes from prisoner-of-war classes, including dental notes, food and drinks recipes, and addresses for prisoners of war from Australian and other services, including the Royal Navy, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and Royal Dutch Navy.

Personal memoir relates to service and experiences during the Second World War.

Papers include: a nominal roll of the Rabaul Fortress Company RAE, papers on prisoner-of-war repatriation, and advice to families relating to prisoner-of-war mail.

Souvenirs and ephemera includes: four Christmas cards; three birthday cards; one hand-written Christmas carol song sheet; two hand-written extracts from concert scripts; one prisoner-of-war luggage tag; two blank member's account sheets from the Yokohama Amateur Rowing Club; one hand-written menu, 'Freddie's Feast', 18 June 1945; two pieces of Japanese paper currency; and various unidentifiable paper ephemera.