Quinn CollectionTwo and a half page letter written on one and a half sheets of unlined white paper (0805a1-2), headed MS Fenris, At Sea and dated 28.02.49. The envelope (0805b) is cream-coloured. A second envelope (0805c) is duck-egg blue with a green lining and a 5cm border of repeating diagonal stripes of green, white, yellow and white.Envelope 0805b bears four 'Espana' stamps and is addressed to Mrs H Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria. The postmark is indistinct. There is a penciled addition on the back. Envelope 0805c bears one Brasil stamp and is addressed to Mrs S Quinn, 5 Pollington Street, St Kilda. The two postmarks are indistinct. letters-from-abroad, quinn, ms fenris, 1949

Quinn CollectionTwo and a half page letter written on one and a half sheets of unlined white paper (0806.a1-2), headed MS Fenris, Montevideo and dated 21.03.49. The air-mail envelope (0806.b) is duck-egg blue with a green lining and a 5cm border of diagonal, repeating stripes of green, white, yellow, white.0806.b bears one green Uruguay stamp and is addressed to Mrs S Quinn, 5 Pollington Street, St Kilda. The postmark is indistinct. letters-from-abroad, quinn, ms fenris, 1949

Quinn CollectionFive page letter written to Allan on four sheets of lined buff-coloured paper (0807.a1-4) from his mother, Mrs S Quinn and dated 24.03.49. The envelope (0807.b) is a deeper shade of buff. 0807.b is postmarked Melbourne and has an air-mail sticker on the upper left-hand corner and a wine-coloured Australian stamp costing one shilling and sixpence on the upper right-hand corner. It is post-marked Melbourne.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949

Quinn CollectionTwo page letter written on one sheet of unlined buff-coloured paper (0808.a) headed M.S.Fenris, Tenerife, Canary Islands and dated 25.04.49. The blue-grey coloured envelope (0808.b) has a 7cm border of diagonal light blue and white stripes. There are two Irish stamps - one brown and one blue.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, m s fenris

Quinn CollectionOne and a half page letter written on two sheets of unlined buff-coloured paper (0809.a1-2) headed M.S.Fenris, Dublin and dated 22.04.49. The blue-grey coloured envelope (0809.b) has a 7cm border of diagonal light blue and white stripes. There are two 'Espana' stamps - one red and one light blue.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, m s fenris, dublin

Quinn CollectionTwo and a half page letter written on two sheets of unlined buff-coloured paper (0810.a1-2) headed M.S.Fenris, Baltic Sea and dated 03.05.49. The blue-grey coloured envelope (0810.b) has a 7cm border of diagonal light blue and white stripes. There are two Norwegian stamps, one olive green and one orange, postmarked Stockholm.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, m s fenris, germany, denmark

Quinn CollectionThree page letter written on two sheets of unlined blue airletter paper (0811.a1-2) headed M.S.Fenris, Stockholm and dated 21.05.49. The blue airmail envelope (0811.b) has a 4cm border of diagonal green and yellow stripes. There are two Norwegian stamps, one olive green and one orange, postmarked Stockholm.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, m s fenris, stockholm

Quinn CollectionSingle-sided letter written on six sheets of unlined blue airletter paper (0813.a1-6) headed M.S.Fenris, At Sea, and dated 23.06.49. The blue airmail envelope (0813.b) has a 4cm border of diagonal green and yellow stripes. There are two Argentinian stamps, one blue, one red. The postmark is incomplete. There are some figures on the back of the envelopeletters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949, m s fenris

Quinn CollectionA buff-coloured self-folding letter (0814.a) written on one and a half sides. The outer half of the letter, used for the address, is grey. Letter is headed 3 Orrong Road, Armadale, Melbourne and is undated. Letter is postmarked Malvern and dated 1 July 1949 and is addressed to Mr Allan Quinn, M.S.Fenris, Stockholmes Rederi A.B.S.V.E.A., Skeppsbron 28, Stockholm, Sweden. Letter commences 'Dear Allen......'and concludes '...Once again wishing you a very very happy birthday on 2nd of July from Uncle Fred and myself.' It is signed Auntie Ciss.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949

Quinn CollectionTwo-page letter written on two sheets of buff-coloured paper (0815.a1-2). Letter is headed Liddesdale Avenue, Frankston and dated 9/07/49. The pale brown envelope (0815.b), addressed to Mr Allan Quinn at the shipping office in Stockholm, has been re-addressed several times. It bears three Australian stamps. The four post-marks are indistinct. Letter commences 'My dear Allen......'and concludes '...Trusting to see you later on in the year. From your loving Dad.'letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1949

The writer refers to Allan's and her own family members and is thought to be a relative; more research is needed. She also writes ".....I suppose you've heard all about the floods here, winter certainly is settling in early ....".Quinn CollectionA single page of unlined pale blue paper folded in book form to give four pages of writing (0836.a). Letter is headed Nurses Home, Alfred Hospital, Prahran and dated 3.04.1950. Matching envelope (0836.b) is addressed to M.S. Mongabarra, C/- Elder Smith & Co., Adelaide. 'Adelaide' has been crossed out and an indecipherable port, possibly Port Lincoln, has been added by a different writer and in darker ink. Envelope bears three red, two and halfpenny Australian stamps franked Melbourne. The letter commences "Dear Allan......" and is signed "Yours June". letters-from-abroad, quinn

The writer thanks Allan for his letter and adds "...I'm glad you have been at home in Sidney.....and wasn't it wonderful to see your folks and friends again?". He mentions that it is five years ago that Allan left home. Peer refers to Allan's next trip and advises Allan where to go and what to see when he is in Copenhagen and how sorry he, Peer, is that he will not to be there to show Allan around. Quinn CollectionThree page letter written on three pages of unlined cream paper (0837.a1-3). Letter is written in black ink, is headed Salinas,California and dated 11.04.1950. Below the address and date has been added, in pencil and in a different hand, 325 California Street, Salinas, California. Matching envelope (0837.b) has a large piece torn from the upper edge, centre, and has been re-addressed several times. The original address to Mr Allan Quinn M.S. Mongabarra, William Street, C/- Birt Elder, Melbourne, Austra. has been partly obscured by a cream coloured piece of paper stuck onto the envelope which appears to contain an address in South Africa. This in turn is obscured by a brown sticker stamped with purple ink 'Messrs. Nederiaktiebolaget Transatlantio, Gothenburg, Sweden. Below the green United States fifteen-cent air-mail postage stamp, is stamped in purple ink, Elder Smith & Co. Limited, Box 387 G.P.O. Adelaide, S.A. In the left upper corner the hand-written return address is P. Rasmussen, 325 California Street, Salinas, California. U.S.A. There are two Californian post-marks both partially torn off and one Capetown post-mark. On the back of the envelope are two overlapping South Australia GPO post marks, one Adelaide and one Melbourne postmark and a 'check address' post mark.The letter commences "Dear Friend!" and finishes "Many regards - your friend Peer". letters-from-abroad, quinn, peer rasmussen, copenhagen, california

Quinn CollectionTwo page letter written in green ink on two pages of very fine unlined cream paper (0838.a1-2). Letter, written at sea, is headed M.S. Mongabarra, Capetown, S.A. and dated 8.05.1950. Matching air mail envelope (0838.b) is addressed in green ink to Mrs E. Quinn, C/- Mrs Greeves, 14 Victoria Street, St. Kilda, Victoria. There are three South African stamps; one valued at one shilling and two valued at threepence each. The post mark is Capetown. Letter commences "My dear Mum" and is signed by Allanletters-from-abroad, quinn

Interesting historical note: the writer of the letter suggests a meeting with her friend Lord Sinha who will give Allan a tour of the Houses of Parliament and lunch. Lord Sinha is the son of Satyendra Prasanna Sinha, 1st Baron Sinha, the first (and only) Indian ever to be given the hereditary peerage and the first Indian member of the House of Lords. The peerage was created by Lloyd George in 1919.Quinn CollectionA single page of unlined blue paper folded in book form to give four pages of writing (0839.a). Letter is headed Oslo, Norway. The first half of the letter is dated 25.05.1950, the second half the 26.05.1950. Buff-coloured envelope (0839.b) is addressed to Allen Quinn Esq .M.S. Mongabarra, C/- Alex M. Petersen, 14 Meyr, Antwerp, Holland. Envelope bears one grey/blue Norwegian stamp. Post mark appears to be Gotenborg but is indistinct.Letter commences "My Dear Allen [sic],' and concludes "Love Vera".letters-from-abroad, quinn, lord sinha, vera south

The writer states that he is staying with his parents in Holland and that, ".....Holland is good again like before the war." He thanks Allan for his letter and the "Union book" and "....feels his chances are now bigger to get a ship back to Australia."Quinn CollectionThe Netherlands self-folding letter (0840) is addressed to Allan C/- Mongabarra, headed Apeldoorn and dated the 6/06/50. The overall colour of the letter is pale green. There is a fine blue pattern on the outside except for part of the middle section where the address, return address and a printed notice are displayed. There is a brown paper sticker with the printed words 'Firma C. K. Hansen, Kopenhamn K. Denmark' partly obscuring the address. The sender's name and return address, written in tiny writing, are unclear and partly obscured by a fuzzy postmark.The letter commences "Hello Allan!" and is signed "........ from your friend John."letters-from-abroad, quinn, apeldoorn, holland, john holsheim

The writer mentions some of Allan's family members. He also comments on the extremely wet weather Sydney has been experiencing and encloses a newspaper clipping with a cartoon of the Rugby League first Test match between England and Australia and a photo of two very muddy players; Australian front-row forward Douglas Hall and England's captain Ernest Ward. The match was played at Sydney Cricket Ground.Quinn CollectionA two-page letter written on two pages of buff-coloured, lined paper (0841a1-2) is headed 802 Macleay Regis, Macleay Street, Potts Point and dated 13/06/50. The matching envelope (0841.b) bears a one and sixpence Australian stamp, is postmarked Sydney and stamped with the slogan 'Road Carelessness Kills'. It is addressed to Mr Allan Quinn, M.S. Mongabarra, C/- Transatlantic Shipping Co., Gothenberg Sweden. Enclosed in the letter is an undated newspaper clipping (0841.c).The letter commences "Dear Allan" and is singed "Your sincere friend Jim".letters-from-abroad, quinn, douglas hall, ernest ward, england v australia rugby test, sydnry cricket ground, sydney 1950

Quinn CollectionThe Netherlands self-folding letter (0842) is addressed to Allan C/- Mongabarra, headed The Hague and dated the 23/06/50. The overall colour of the letter is pale green. There is a fine blue pattern on the outside except for part of the middle section where the address, return address and a printed notice are displayed. The sender's name and return address is J. Holsheim, 65 van Hassell ladn (spelling tbc), Apeldoorn. The letter is postmarked S'Gravenhage.The letter commences "Dear Allan!" and is signed "........ John."letters-from-abroad, quinn, apeldoorn, holland, john holsheim

Allan describes his voyage from Gothenburg to Capetown and his impressions of Sweden and Norway.Quinn CollectionTwo and a half page letter written in green ink on two pages of unlined cream paper (0844.a1-2). Letter, written at sea, is headed M.S. Mongabarra, and dated 18.08.1950. Matching envelope (0844.b) is addressed in green ink to Mrs E. Quinn, C/- Mrs Greeves, 14 Victoria Street, St. Kilda, Victoria. There are two South African stamps; one valued at one shilling and one at sixpence. The post mark is Capetown. Letter is from Allan to his mother.letters-from-abroad, quinn, ms mongabarra, sweden, norway, allan charles quinn

Mrs Quinn writes that she is to marry 'Kit'. She also mentions that '....Things look very grim in Korea.....'Quinn CollectionTwo page letter written in blue ink on one page of lined cream paper (0845.a). Letter written to Allan from his mother is dated 20.08.1950. Off white envelope (0845.b) is addressed to Mr A Quinn, M.S. Mongabarra, c/- Transatlantic Shipping Agency, 235 Boston House, Strand Street, Capetown, South Africa. Envelope is post marked Melbourne and bears a one and sixpence stamp. Letter commences 'Allan Dear' and concludes'...'God Bless always, Mum' letters-from-abroad, allan charles quinn (1928-1990)

Allan described his shore leave in Capetown. He writes that on the return trip to Gothenburg the ship will be calling in at the Belgium Congo, Antwerp and Copenhagen. He expects to arrive in Gothenburg in mid October.Quinn CollectionA self-folding letter written in green ink (0846.a), headed M.S. Mongabarra, Durban and dated 1/09/1950. The letter is addressed to Mrs E. Quinn. Postmarked Durban the postage is sixpence.letters-from-abroad, quinn, m.s. mongabarra, capetown, south africa

This letter contains news of family and friendsQuinn CollectionFour page letter written on four sheets of cream coloured, lined paper (0847.a1-4), headed 14 Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda, Melbourne and dated 07/09/1950. The matching envelope is addressed to Mr A. Quinn, M.S. Mongabarra. The envelope has been re-addressed. On the lower part of the matching envelope (0847.b) a brown paper sticker, with H. Uner Aktiebolag, Sodra Stromsgatan 30, Norrkoping printed in purple ink, obscures the rest of the address. There is a one and sixpence stamp on the right upper corner and a Melbourne postmark.letters-from-abroad, quinn

Indicates a friendship at the time.Quinn CollectionSingle page letter (0848.a) typed on the company stationery of J Leo Stevens. The single sheet of cream coloured paper is dated 14/09/1950. The matching envelope (0848.b) has been re-addressed with a brown sticker that partly obscures the original address. The forwarding address reads Messrs. Miller & Co. S. A. Apartado 12, Las Palmas, Grand Canary. Envelope bears a one and sixpence stamp and a Sydney postmark.'J Leo Stevens, National Mutual Building, 350 George Street, Sydney' is printed on the top left corner of the page and the telephone number 'BL 2649' on the top right corner.letters-from-abroad, quinn

Indicates a friendship at the time.Quinn CollectionThe two page letter written on a single sheet of pale blue paper (0849.a) is dated 1/10/1950. There is a matching envelope (0849.b). The forwarding address is typed on a brown sticker that partly obscures the original address. The forwarding address reads Messrs. Miller & Co. S. A. Apartado 12, Las Palmas, Grand Canary. There is a red Swedish stamp in the top right corner. Across the middle of the envelope (in red) are; a rectangle shipping stamp enclosing a ship ensign with the letters R, B, T, A in each quadrant, a postmark and a franking stamp. The letter is written in Swedish except for 'Hello Allan!'. In the signature position is written 'Andersson' (tbc).letters-from-abroad, quinn

Indicates a friendship at the time.Quinn CollectionA blue self-folding letter (0850.a) postmarked Melbourne and addressed to Allan is dated 9.11.50. The return address is 160 Head Street, Elsternwick, S4, Melbourne. Cost of the airletter is seven pence.Letter commences 'Hi Allan' and concludes 'Well that's all for now pal. Hope to hear from you soon. Bluey'.letters-from-abroad, quinn

Allan writes of being in Gothenburg the day after the Swedish King died (November 1950).Quinn CollectionA three-page letter written in green ink on three pages of buff coloured unlined paper (0851.a1-3) headed M.S.Mongabarra, Norrkoping, Sweden and dated 1/12/50. The pale blue envelope (0851.b) is addressed to Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria. There are 9 red stamps, valued at 20 Norwegian Krona each, and one green stamp, valued at 10 N.Krona, across the top of the envelope. There are three postmarks.In this letter to his mother Allan describes how beautiful it was sailing into Norrkoping with everything covered with just a little snow but after a snow-storm the next day the ropes were frozen and the tarpaulins were like sheets of iron. The ship is half full of timber for Australia and will arrive in Adelaide in late January 1951 but he won't be on it as he is handing in his book and will sign off in Gothenburg on the 11th December. He plans to spend Christmas in Oslo before travelling to London. He anticipates being back in Australia for good in the middle of 1951. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, m s mongabarra, antwerp, gothenburg, norrkoping, sweden

The correspondent writes "'.... I am sending ........a little Xmas gift of 100 pounds Sterling that should be worth 125 pounds at the rate of exchange when it reaches Australia"Quinn CollectionThis letter is written on a single sheet of unlined buff-coloured paper. The paper has been folded in half, in book form (0852.a). It is headed The Meadows, Epsom and is dated 7/12/50. The off-white envelope (0852.b) is addressed to Kip Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria. There are two United Kingdom stamps in the upper right hand corner, an air mail sticker on the left and is post-marked Epsom, Surrey. The letter commences "Dear Kip..." and is signed "Jim". letters-from-abroad, jim hayes

The writer is replying to a letter from Allan and contains news of fellow seafarers.Quinn CollectionThree page letter written on three sheets of thin, unlined, buff-coloured paper (0853.1a-3a). It is headed Salinas and dated 08/12/50. The air-mail envelope (0853.b) is bordered with red and blue alternating diagonal stripes. It is addressed to Mr Allan Quinn, Liddesdale Avenue, Frankston, Victoria, Australia. The return address, written in the top left hand corner, is Peer Rasmussen, 330 1/2 Central Avenue, Salinas, California, USA. The stamps and part of the post-mark have been torn from the envelope. Letter commences "Hello my friend, ....." and concludes ..."'your sincere friend, Peer."letters-from-abroad, peer rasmussen, salinas

Allan writes that he has left the ship M S Mongabarra in Sweden and traveled by train to Oslo where he will stay for about 14 days before travelling to London. He has sent "...a very big carton, a smaller one - a trunk and coffee table back to Australia."Quinn CollectionA single sheet of very thin paper folded in half, book form, with writing on the first and third pages only (0854.a). Written in green ink it is headed Oslo and dated 14/12/50. The air-mail envelope (0854.b) is bordered with alternating purple and yellow diagonal stripes. There are three Norwegian stamps, one green and two purple, in the right upper corner. It is post-marked Oslo and addressed Mrs K Hayes, 14 Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia. The letter is from Allan to his mother. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, oslo

Allan writes that he had '...a marvellous time in Norway over Xmas and the New Year.' He is now settling in in London and busy organising accommodation, banking and ration cards. Quinn CollectionA two-page letter written on a single sheet of unlined, buff-coloured paper (0855.a) headed London and dated 9/01/51. There is no envelopeThe letter is from Allan to his mother. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, london-uk

Allan writes that finding a job in London is difficult and work poorly paid. He had hoped to go to photography school in London but the earliest he could get in was November so he decided to return to Australia. August was the earliest booking he could obtain. In the meantime he is returning to Norway in the hope of finding work there. He asks his mother to send money from his account in Melbourne to his bank in London.Quinn CollectionA six-page letter written in green ink on three sheets of very thin, unlined, buff-coloured paper (0856.a1-6) headed London and dated 16/01/51. Each sheet of paper has been folded in book form. The air-mail envelope (0856.b) bordered by alternating yellow and blue stripes, is postmarked London. Two stamps, a three penny purple, and a one shilling brown, are placed in the top right-hand corner. On the back of the envelope is a return address written in green ink, and some penciled numbers. Enclosed is a separate letter on a smaller sheet of the same paper (0856.c).The letter (0856.a1-6) is from Allan to his mother. The smaller letter (0856.c) is from Allan to the Manager of The State Savings Bank of Victoria, Head Office, Melbourne giving permission for Allan's mother to draw on his account. On the bottom of this letter is a purple, oval imprint. Part of the writing around the imprint is illegible and part reads '...of Victoria * Elizabeth St. Melb. * ...' In the middle of the oval is printed '24 Jan 1951' and 'Manager's Clerk'. Across the lower left corner is written in black ink 'Signature verified' and a signature (illegible). Allan's full name and account number are written in pencil in the lower right hand corner.. letters-from-abroad, allan quinn, london-uk, norway