| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2018.1036.1 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: 1 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Diary |
| Maker |
James, Lindsay Royden |
| Place made | New Guinea |
| Date made | 1943-1944 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
James, Lindsay Royden (Private, b.1923 - d.2018)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX139541 Private Lindsay Royden James, 235 Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, New Guinea, 1943-1944.
Collection consists of one red covered school exercise book, cut in half horizontally, with "Diary 1945 / VX139541 GNR L.R. James / A Troop / 235 Aust LAA BTY / Milne Bay" written on the cover. Diary spans the period 1 January 1943 to 11 April 1944. The diary contains short, mostly one line, entries relating to the activities of Pte James while he was based around the Milne Bay area. Common entries refer to the vast amounts of rain received in Milne Bay and the surrounding areas, brief descriptions of planes that flew out on raids noting the numbers that left and those that returned, and aircraft that either crashed or experienced difficulties when landing or taking off. Also included are regular entries mentioning who mail was sent to and received from. One particularly interesting entry, dated 8 March 1943, discusses a kittyhawk crash and has a later annotation stating that "John Gorton ex P/Minister was pilot", referring to future Australian Prime Minister John Gorton (Prime Minister from 1968-1971).