1942 (circa) Australian Red Cross 'Prisoner of War Post' Envelope with Thick Bar to "Major JRP Clark/Heavy Battery/.../Rabaul" with Melbourne censor label across the flap & boxed cachet, Japanese boxed censor chop in violet & endorsed "ZENT" in red pencil for delivery to the Zentsuji POW Camp at Kagawa on Shikoku Island, docketed "Recd 8/3/44 Written 11/42" at top (a normal transit time), a couple of very minor blemishes. Mail to or from those captured at Rabaul after it fell in January 1942 is extremely scarce: David Tett states (Vol 2 p4) that of the 964 Australian troops captured at Rabaul, 400 escaped back to Australia and 160 were massacred by the Japanese. The remaining 400 were initially forced to work on the wharf, the majority then shipped out to Hainan Island on 22.6.1942 on the transport ship 'Montevideo Maru', which was torpedoed & sunk by a US submarine off Luzon on 1.7.1942, with the loss of all prisoners on board. A few days later, sixty officers who had remained behind were shipped to Japan on the 'Naruto Maru', and housed in the Zentsuji Officers Camp. David Tett illustrates (Vol 2 p29) a Red Cross envelope sent to the same addressee received 11.3.1944. Apart from that item, this and the next Lot are the only other examples of mail we have seen to an Australian POW captured at Rabaul.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1942 (circa) Australian Red Cross 'Prisoner of War Post' Envelope with Thick Bar to "Major JRP Clark/Heavy Battery/.../Rabaul" with Melbourne censor label across the flap & cachet, Japanese boxed censor chop in violet on face, endorsed "ZENT" in red pencil for delivery to the Zentsuji POW Camp at Kagawa on Shikoku Island, docketed "Recd 9/3/44" at top, a couple of very minor blemishes. Mail to or from those captured at Rabaul after it fell in January 1942 is extremely scarce: see the previous Lot.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1942 - 1943 usage of three watercolour hand-illustrated envelopes depicting an Australian solidier with rifle & bayonet capturing a Japanese 'schoolboy', an Australian soldier on a home-made raft, and a local beauty welcoming a ship on the horizon, all to Brisbane with Australia KGVI 3d brown solos tied by 'AUST ARMY P.O./216' or '.../218' cds used at Milne Bay, a few blemishes. (3)

Grade A-/B (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

1942 (Oct 25) usage of a high-quality pen & ink hand-illustrated envelope depicting an Australian solidier being followed by a well-filled python captioned "Where's Murph?", to Bondi Junction (NSW) with Australia KGVI 1½d green pair tied by 'R.A.A.F./P.O. UNIT No.6' cds used at Port Moresby, minor blemishes.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

1943 (May 11) usage of a watercolour hand-illustrated envelope depicting an Australian solidier with a local beauty, to Sandringham (Vic) with Australia KGVI 3d brown tied by Royal Australian Air Force 'A.F.P.O./No 201' cds used at Ward's Field, Port Moresby, a couple of minor blemishes. The addressee "Mrs F Collas" was the wife of Australian solider, postal historian & author Phil Collas, and we presume the illustration is his work.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

1945 (Sept 17) usage of a pen & ink hand-illustrated envelope depicting a native postal runner cartoon captioned "Cec's Express Delivery", to Toorak (Vic) with Australia KGVI 3d brown tied by 'AUST F.P.O./187' cds used at ANZAC Beach, Torokina, Bougainville, a couple of minor blemishes. The enclosed three-page letter on Salvation Army ACF YMCA stationery is headed from serviceman "VX 133558, Sullivan IV/20 Aust Indep Pro Rt/11 Aust Inf Bde", a member of the 20th Motor Regiment serving with the 11th Brigade, which was the only Militia (Reserve) unit deployed outside Australia during WWII.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

1945 Japanese Surrender two official photographs showing Japanese Officers at the Surrender Ceremony on the deck of the British Aircraft Carrier HMS 'Glory', and a Japanese Officer below deck, each with 'Suitable for Transmission through the Post (not for publication)' handstamps on the reverse. On 6.9.1945, Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee officially accepted the surrender on board the HMS 'Glory', anchored off Rabaul in St George's Channel between New Britain and New Ireland.  (2)

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS: Australian leaflets dropped over New Guinea by the RAAF with the Australian Coat of Arms printed or handstamped at top, the messages in Pidgin English one translated including "We have driven the Japs out of Wau, Lae, Salamaua, Finschhafen and Manus ... Your District Officer is back at Madang. Our warships have cut off the Japs at Buka and Rabaul and in New Ireland ...", each illustrated with Australian & American flags or with Native Artefacts x2, very fine.  (3)

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$200