Aluminium desk ornament : Lance Corporal T H Clissold, 2/2 Field Company, RAE

Three piece cast aluminium desk ornament consisting of a oval base with a map of New Guinea sitting proud of the surrounding sea to which is attached a 150 mm nude woman in the Deco style, with one arm held aloft. The arm is fitted with a integral pin which fits into the lower fuselage of an approximately 1:72 scale P-38 Lightning. The map of New Guinea is engraved 'Greetings from New Guinea 1945' and depictions of mountains and palm trees. Coastal towns are marked with their names and a dot of plastic, alternatively red or green. Towns are, clockwise from left to right Sorong, Sonsapor, Manawors (?), Hollandia, Aitape, Wewak, Madang, Finschhafen, Lae, Buna, Milne Bay, Moresby, Kirori, Merauke and Topere. The 'sea' around the island has been patterned and coloured blue.

Made by VX38285 Lance Corporal Thomas Henry Clissold, 2/2 Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers (RAE). Born on 29 January 1919 at Hawkesdale, Victoria, and employed as a plumber and foreman contractor, Clissold enlisted at Melbourne Town Hall, Victoria on 24 July 1940. He embarked for service in the Middle East on 10 April 1941, arriving on 14 May and saw service there until returning to Australia on 28 March 1942. After over two year’s service and training in Darwin, NSW, South Australia and Queensland (during which he was awarded the Australian Efficiency Medal on 19 July 1944) he sailed with his unit from Cairns on 28 October 1944, bound for Aitape, New Guinea. Clissold did not manage to return to Australia until late January 1946. Although due for discharge, he was transferred to 2/1 Field Company in March 1946 and then to 7 CRE Works (Commander Royal Engineers Works) and worked at Murchison POW Camp, Tatura, Victoria until August. He was finally discharged on 8 January 1947. Clissold displayed a high degree of expertise with designing and casting souvenirs made from aluminium and perspex, materials freely available as salvage from wrecked aircraft in the New Guinea theatre. Souvenirs such as these were either sent home as sweetheart gifts, or sold to other servicemen and Americans for profit.