| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR04281 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Letter |
| Maker |
Menzies, Robert Gordon Young, Arthur Wellesley |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | 1941-1945 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
Young, Arthur Wellesley (Captain, b.1912 - d.1998); Edmonds, Jack Roland (Lance Corporal, b.1914 - d.1942)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX26672 Captain Arthur Wellesley Young, 2/21 Australian Infantry Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Australia, 1941; Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX31901 Lance Corporal Jack Roland Edmonds, 2/21 Australian Infantry Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Australia, 1945.
Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of one folder of material relating to Captain Arthur Wellesley Young, and one folder of material relating to Lance Corporal Jack Roland Edmonds.
Folder 1 of 2 contains one letter from Captain Young to his friend’s younger brother, Master Frank Edmonds, dated 24 April 1941. In his letter, written while he was serving in Darwin, Captain Young describes several animal characters, including F Frog and Klippity-Klop the Kangaroo. He also draws the characters in coloured pencil. In addition, this letter includes its original envelope, on which Captain Young has drawn a cartoon of Hitler.
Folder 2 of 2 contains one letter from Leader of the Opposition, Robert Gordon Menzies to Mr Roland Edmonds. In his letter, Menzies forwards information from the Acting Minister of the Army regarding prisoners of war. He advises that, because the Japanese had not abided by the terms of the Geneva Convention, it was impossible to confirm the circumstances or whereabouts of the members of 2/21 Australian Infantry Battalion. He also acknowledges the anxiety suffered by Mr and Mrs Edmonds regarding their son, Lance Corporal Jack Roland Edmonds.
History / Summary
Jack Roland Edmonds enlisted to the Second Australian Imperial Force on 13 June 1940. He served with 2/21 Australian Infantry Battalion in Darwin, Northern Territory, and Ambon, Netherlands East Indies. In February 1942, Edmonds was captured on Ambon as a prisoner of war of the Japanese. He was presumed to have died in the Laha Massacre on 20 February 1942. Jack Roland Edmonds is commemorated at Ambon Memorial, Indonesia.