Series 1: Diary (1901-1902)
Boer War diary by Arnold Price (1877-1970). Price served with the 6th Queensland Imperial Bushmen during the Second Boer War.
[Item M1325/1]
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Series 2: Correspondence (1907-1919)
This series contains correspondence principally relating to the service of Gordon Thompson, James Hobson and Arthur Beach, during the First World War.
[Items M1325/2 to M1325/11]
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Items in this series:
Letter (1907)
Copy of letter from Alfred Deakin, Prime Minister of Australia, to the Premier of Queensland, regarding a visit to Papau of an expert [Gilbert Burnett] regarding timber exports.
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Postcard (1905-1910)
Postcard sent to George Thomason, 'Fernbourne' Wellington Point. It states on the reverse "These are Native Police and the gentleman in white clothes is Mr Ryan who is the Gaoler here during Mr MacDonald's absence on leave. Let old George see this." Possibly sent by Gilbert Burnett, his stepfather.
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Letter (25 June 1915)
Letter to Nell [Ellen] Burnett from her brother Gordon Thompson, 3rd Artillery Brigade at Labarich Camp, Alexandria, prior to his departure for service on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
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Letter (5 October 1915)
Letter from Lieutenant Gordon Thompson, 3rd Field Artillergy Brigade, Anzac, Gallipoli to his mother, in which he describes exchanging shells with the Turks.
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Letter (6 October 1915)
Letter to Nell [Ellen] Burnett, from her brother Gordon Thompson, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade, Anzac, Gallipoli, temporarily attached to the 8th Battery and in charge of a section. He describes his voyage from Alexandria to Lemnos and his ship being torpedoed, and his first days on Gallipoli.
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Letter (29 January 1916)
Letter to George [Thomason] from Private James 'Allan' Hobson, 15th Infantry Battalion, Egypt. He writes of their voyage over and their shore leave in Colombo. James Allan Hobson was killed in action, 9 August 1916, in France and is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
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Letter (23 May 1916)
Letter to Nell [Ellen] Burnett, from her brother Gordon Thompson, 39th Battery 10th Field Artillery Brigade, Egypt, he has been made temporary Captain, and being kept busy training men in desert conditions.
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Letter (29 June 1916)
Letter to Nell [Ellen] Burnett, from her brother Captain Gordon Thompson, 24th Field Artillery Brigade, 48th Battery, France. The fighting is different from that at Anzac, the shells are larger and come in some quantity.
Gordon Kingsley Thompson was killed in action 19 July 1916 and is buried at Y Farm Military Cemetery, Bois-Grenier.
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Letter (15 January 1919)
Letter to Nell [Ellen] Burnett, from Arthur W. Beach, 2nd Field Artillery, 21st Howitzer Battery at 'Morialure' Belgium where he waits for his repatriation home, her son George Thomason is nearby.
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Postcard (1914-1918)
Printed postcard featuring a poem titled 'My little wet home in the trench'.
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Series 3: Correspondence (1940-1942)
This series contains two items from Private Francis James Bodero, of the 2/26th Infantry Battalion written during the Second World War.
Bodero who was employed as a lino-type operator with a Rockhampton newspaper, enlisted in June 1940 and was assigned to the 2/26th which sailed to Malaya in August 1941. After the Fall of Singapore, Bodero was taken prisoner of the Japanese and at first housed in Changi Barracks. Later as part of 'A Force', he was sent to Burma to work on the Burma-Thailand Railway; was one of the work parties sent to Tamarkan; and later selected to work in the coal mines of Sendryu [aka Senryu], Camp 24B, Fukuoka, Japan. After the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and the surrender of the Japanese forces, Bodero and the surviving prisoners were evacuated by train to Nagaskai, then via USS Chenango to Okinawa, flown to Manila, and finally onto Sydney aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable.
The story of Jim Bodero's wartime experiences was published in 'The hell pits of Sendryu' by Jim Brigginshaw.
[Items M1325/12 to M1325/13]
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Items in this series:
Greeting card (1941-1942)
Christmas greeting card of the 2/26th Infantry Battalion, sent to Rene (Irene) from Jim Bodero, wishing her and Audrey a merry Christmas etc.
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Letter (6 September 1941)
Letter from Private Francis James Bodero 2/26th Infantry Battalion, to his friend Rene (Irene) during the Second World War. Bodero wrote from Malaya in 1941 describing the people and culture and the city of Singapore.
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Series 4: Newsletters (1943-1945)
This series contains newsletters published during the Second World War, they include:
- Newsletter headed 'Victory! Rising sun sets, yes it's all over'.
- Newsletter ''Garamut' with messages regarding the surrender of the Japanese and the use of the atomic bomb.
- Newsletter 'Ormiston Oracle' with the headline 'First Australian prisoners of war arrive in Sydney by Catalinas'.
- Newsletter titled 'Guinea Gold' with the headline 'Allies land in Sicily'.
[Items M1325/14 to M1325/15]