Schrock, Arthur Reginald Britton (Flight Lieutenant, b.1917 - d.1977)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of 404589 Flight Lieutenant Arthur Reginald Britton Schrock, 460 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Canada, England and Australia, 1939-1945.

Wallet 1 of 3 – Consists of one scrapbook of Flight Lieutenant Schrock. This scrapbook was made by Flight Lieutenant Schrock while he was a prisoner of war of the Germans between January 1944 and May 1945. This scrapbook contains pencil and watercolour drawings relating to Flight Lieutenant Schrock’s service with 460 Squadron in England, and internment at Sagan Prisoner of War Camp, Germany (now Zagan, Poland). It also contains notes on sports, poetry, camp plans, food, and mail. In addition, the scrapbook contains autographs and home addresses of fellow prisoners, a card in memory of prisoners who had lost their lives in an attempt to escape the camp in March 1944, an account of a forced march in early 1945, newspaper clippings, seeds, fragments of ‘window’ from an Allied air raid, and a prayer book.

Wallet 2 of 3 – Contains two folders of correspondence relating to Flight Lieutenant Schrock.

Wallet 2 of 3, Folder 1 of 2 consists of 54 illustrated envelopes from Flight Lieutenant Schrock to his wife, Mrs Mabel Schrock (née Gaveston). These envelopes were illustrated and sent by Flight Lieutenant Schrock during his training and service as a wireless operator and air gunner in Canada and the United Kingdom between 1941 and 1942. The illustrations depict different types of aircraft and servicemen.

Wallet 2 of 3, Folder 2 of 2 consists of 14 letters, nine postcards and two Christmas airgrams from Flight Lieutenant Schrock to members of his family, including his wife Mrs Mabel Schrock (who he called ‘Bunny’). These items of correspondence are dated between 5 January 1940 and 4 May 1945, and cover the period of Flight Lieutenant Schrock’s training and service as a wireless operator and air gunner in Canada and the United Kingdom, and time as a prisoner of war in Germany. In his correspondence, Flight Lieutenant Schrock writes about his marriage to Mabel, training in Canada, passing exams, and life in the training camp. He later goes on to write about becoming a prisoner of war of the Germans, settling into his prisoner of war camp, the weather, missing his family, his health, playing sports, the mail, hearing news of the war, recreational activities in the camp, feeling hungry, receiving parcels from home, and being liberated by British forces.

Wallet 3 of 3 – Contains three folders of documents relating to Flight Lieutenant Schrock.

Wallet 3 of 3, Folder 1 of 3 consists of two letters from friends and family to Flight Lieutenant Schrock. The first letter, dated 17 February 1941, was written by Flight Lieutenant Schrock’s employer Mr William John ‘Billy’ Heatley. In his letter, Mr Heatley sends his regards, encourages Flight Lieutenant Schrock in his studies, comments on the state of the war, and gives news from their hometown of Townsville, Queensland. The second letter, dated 12 March 1941, was written by Flight Lieutenant Schrock’s father, Mr Richard C Schrock. In his letter, Mr Schrock gives news of the family and business.

Wallet 3 of 3, Folder 2 of 3 consists of two poems relating to Flight Lieutenant Schrock. One poem, titled ‘Ode to Australia’, speaks of a deep appreciation for the Australian landscape and a longing to go home. The other poem, titled ‘Remember’, relates to the wartime experiences of Flight Lieutenant Schrock and several of his fellow servicemen. This poem is written on the back of Royal Air Force training notes. Both poems have unknown authors.

Wallet 3 of 3, Folder 3 of 3 contains 24 items relating to Flight Lieutenant Schrock. These items date between 1939 and 1945, and consist of letters, telegrams and documents relating to Flight Lieutenant Schrock’s enlistment, the operation in which he became missing in action, his time as a German prisoner of war and his liberation.

Flight Lieutenant Arthur Reginald Britton Schrock enlisted to the Royal Australian Air Force on 11 October 1940. In November 1940, he travelled to Canada to train as a wireless operator and air gunner under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Flight Lieutenant Schrock completed his operational training in England, and went on to serve in Bomber Command with 460 Squadron. On the night of 27 January 1944, during a bombing operation targeting Berlin, Germany, Flight Lieutenant Schrock’s aircraft was shot down. He and other members of the crew were captured by the Germans as prisoners of war, and interned at Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany (now Zagan, Poland). He was liberated by British forces in May 1945, and later returned to Australia. Flight Lieutenant Schrock was discharged on 1 November 1945.