This hat was sent home to Laanecoorie, from Malaya, in 1941 by Driver Cyril John Johnson VX36298, 1 Coy A.A.S.C whilst a POW. Cyril enlisted in the 2nd AIF on 17.6.1940 age 22 years 2 months. Posted to 8th Div Petrol Coy Seymour 25.7.1940, hospital 12.8.1940 with Mumps, rejoin unit 31.8.1940, embark for overseas 2.2.1941, disembark Singapore 19.2.1941. He is listed as missing on 16.2.1942 and later listed as POW in a Thai Camp no date. (He was on the Burma Railway) Last entry on his records states Presumed to be dead 12.9.1944 SWPA. (South West Pacific Area) He with hundreds of others were on the Japanese prison ship Rakuyo Maru to Japan when it was sunk by an American submarine. The hand written signatures on the hat include high ranking AIF Officers, major local Officials and dozens of 8th Division AIF soldiers. British pattern Pith Helmet, khaki coloured cotton cloth with brown leather strap over the top. Large quantity of hand written names on top. Inside rim has green felt lining. Dome section is plaited red silk with manufacturer's label at crest. Hat band is brown leather.On top written in pen & ink: Many army numbers & names of soldiers and some dignitaries.. On top written in ink: To Dad etc from Cyril.military equipment - army, costume - male headwear

Collection of assorted Army standard issued books and personal papers including hand sketch of camp 'Kilo 89' in Palestine belonging to Private Alfred VONARX VX29295 who was born on 5/1/1901 at Docker Plains near Wangaratta. He enlisted on the 4/7/1940 at Seymour and assigned to the 2/7th Battalion which was deployed to the Middle East and later New Guinea.Soldiers Pay Book X 2, Bible & Meal Card, The Australian Soldiers Pocket Book, Clothing ration book and note book camp kilo 89, private alfred vonarx, vx29295, ww2, palestine

See also 3089.86. Information with that photo gives an alternative provenance: 8th Light Horse Regiment watering horses at a Murray River lagoon, South Corowa NSW, September 1939; Wahgunyah Troop, C Squadron - this side of lagoon, Lieutenant J. Nott on grey horse in water. The number of horsemen would seem to exceed that of a single regiment so the Torquay description would seem more probable.Black and white photograph ( laminated ) of 8th, 13th,20th, and 4thLight Horse Regiments watering horses near Torquay Victoria , March 1940.Picture taken about March 1940 when the 13th Light Horse from Gippsland, the 8th Light Horse from Upper Murray, the 4th Light Horse from the Western Districts and the 20th Light Horse from the Goulburn Valley were in camp near Torquay. Mr Cappur Webb of Glendoxey, Seymour, a member of the 20th said the picture must have been taken during an exercise about five miles north of Torquay. “We used to water our horses in that lake”, he said." light horse, torquay, wwii, world war two, military, horses

George Robert Wheeler joined the RSL in 1918. In 1936 he started volunteering with the Castlemaine RSL and joined the Committee, he was President in 1939. He moved to Bendigo in 1941 and became involved in Bendigo RSL Funerals and conducted most until late 1948. he did home visits to families who had a loss in WW2. In 1943 he was appointed Honorary Secretary of No 27 District Board, a position he held until 1962. In 1959 he was appointed State Councillor for No 27 District Board until 1968. He was elected to the Committee of the Bendigo RSL Branch in 1942. he served on Committee to 1949 then a year in 1951, a total of 9 years. During those years he was Treasurer for the years 1947/48 & 49. For about 10 years he wrote the Leading paragraphs in the Bendigo Advertiser in the Ex Servicemen's Column. In 1959 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace and retired at age 73. George enlisted on 13.3.1917 as part of the July Reinforcements and posted to Medical Corp No 18465. Pre embarkation he had postings with Clearing Hospital Broadmeadows, No 11 General Hospital, AMC Bendigo, Clearing Hospital Seymour. Embarked 21.11.1917 and disembarked at Australia Camp Suez 15.12.1917 then embarked for Alexandria camp on 31.12.1917 disembarking on 2.1.1918. Embarked for England 24.1.1918. On 23.2.1918 he was hospitalised with Perineal Abcess, later with Influenza on 14.3.1918 and then "Tubercle Lung" and returned to Australia on 12.5.1918. On arrival he was admitted to No 5 Aust General Hospital on 16.7.1918 then the Military Sanitorium 22.7.1918. He was finally discharged on 22.1.1919Life Membership Certificate of the Bendigo RSL, gold frame with brown coloured backing sheet, certificate is white background with text in blue and black, in the RH bottom corner is a red seal. signed and dated by the Acting Federal President and General secretary of the RSLAt the top, "Returned Sailors, Soldiers and Airmens Imperial League of Australia", - "G R Wheeler", "Bendigo Sub - Branch", - "Melbourne 26th Sept 1950". brsl, smirsl, life membership, certificate