Vega Trophy (Mounted Wooden Life Ring) Donor: Graham Noel During World War II when the Germans occupied the Channel Islands the local people went through very severe food rationing and were on the verge of starvation. Near the end of the war, the Swedish ship Vega was allowed by the Germans to deliver several shipments of food to the civilian population, easing the critical shortages of food on the islands. Further background detail can be found below. Graham Noel was born on the Islands and lived there during this harsh period. The trophy is awarded to the winner of the Combined Division AMS Aggregate Series. First Winner: Under Capricorn, P. Bedlington 2005/06 Vega – Further historical background Early in the Second World War Jersey was declared “unarmed” and the German military took over, taking quite a few lives in the process, through strafing the main harbour and a few other places which they needlessly considered threatening. A considerable number of locals evacuated to England before the Germans arrived, but more than 60% of the population remained and endured 5 years of very strict and difficult conditions. Not only was the population unable to contact relatives in the UK or elsewhere, but very quickly they found themselves subject to harsh curfews, strictly rationed foodstuffs, no fuel for vehicles, radios confiscated, and homes and hotels commandeered by the military. The military demanded first pick of all foodstuffs and kept meticulous records of all livestock forcing farmers even to show newborn calves and piglets to them, then claiming the new arrivals for their dinner tables. However there are many stories of farmers outwitting their masters when twin calves or suchlike arrived! Lawbreakers were quickly dealt with, mostly with lengthy prison terms in Jersey, but the more serious crimes were punished by being sent to some horrible French prisons, or even some of the notorious German concentration camps. All local Jews were dispatched to concentration camps, and even English born families were similarly shipped through France and on to Germany. Sadly, a considerable number of those deported did not make it back safely to Jersey. In June 1944 the locals were delighted to hear that the Allies had invaded Normandy and very soon they could hear the battles as the Allies worked their way along the French coast. Little did they know they would still have to wait another 11 months for freedom, having to put up with a very demanding German occupation force which was still determined to obey Hitler’s order to “Defend the Channel Islands to the death”. Now that France was in Allied Hands the local military commanders were unable to supplement their food supplies from France and even harsher demands were made on the local population to ensure that all branches of their still very substantial military force were reasonably well fed. As well as the military, Jersey farmers had to provide food for the Allied POWs and the many “forced labourers”, mainly of Russian, Polish and Italian backgrounds who had been directed to the island to build all the concrete bunkers. This included an underground hospital, all this complying with Hitler’s orders to ensure that the Channel Islands would never again be part of Britain. Many requests by the Jersey authorities for Red Cross assistance were rejected, but finally in December 1944 they agreed and on 30th December the Red Cross vessel “Vega” (Swedish Registry) arrived and delivered parcels to the civilian population. These parcels contained a variety of foodstuffs supplied mainly by Canadian authorities, desperately needed medical supplies, flour, oils and soaps, as well as tobacco from New Zealand. Vega made a further 3 or 4 trips and most certainly eased the desperate situation being faced by the locals. In fact, it resulted in the locals having slightly better food supplies than the military and many local farmers tell stories of having to protect their stock from marauding soldiers. Understandably Churchill was reluctant to send in an invading force to retake the Channel Islands, but by May 1945 it was clear that the Third Reich was finished and on May 9th the German Military surrendered, without a fight, to a large British landing force. On a slightly lighter note … in January 1945 Jersey stonemasons were seen in the main town square repairing flagstones … the Germans had never noticed that the name “Vega” had been formed in those flagstones! As a side note Vega is the name of the brightest star in the universe. Furthermore, throughout the occupation, despite German law that demanded confiscation of all radio sets, punishable by long prison terms or deportation to Germany, there were still many sets being listened to. The locals had a well refined news system for the dissemination of news of what was happening in the outside world. vega, graham noel, ams, combined division, aggregate

A copy of an announcement issued by Lieu-General S G Savige on 8 September 1945 at the end of World War Two. It advised the troops that Japan has surrendered. It says it was his privilege to Command 2 Aust Corp during the successful operations in Bouganville. It discusses the need for patience until demobilisation. One paragraph says: "Leadership and planning, important though they be, obtain success only by the good fighting qualities of the Troops to whom a commander owes everything ; as his own reputation depends so utterly and entirely not the behaviour of his Troops. I very gratefully acknowledge your courage, devotion to duty, and the uniformly high standards you established in the performance of every task it was my duty to call upon you to perform. You fought magnificently under exceedingly difficult conditions against a skilful foe whom you defeated. You endured sufferings and hardships attributable to dense jungle, vile swamps, heat, rain and mud, without losing your cheery smiles and determination to stick it out." Donated by Legacy Widow Mrs McIntyre in May 1988. This historic document belonged to her husband and is well worn and inexpertly repaired - better examples exist in other archives, such as Adelaide and Auckland. However it is an important part of founder Stanley Savige's life story, recording his communication to the AIF on 8 September 1945 as Commander 2 Aust Corps that Japan had surrendered. He acknowledged the efforts of the troops throughout the war and praised their tenacity and bravery before confirming his intention to ensure the best possible start in civilian life upon demobilisation for them.A document that illustrates the care Savige took of his troops.1 x printed sheetMathematical jottings on the back in blue/black ink, unrelated to the document.savige, legatee, world war two

'"ARTHUR EDMUND TRANTER" Enlisted on 20/11/1939 Regt No. V50166 in the CMF, posted to 2nd Training Bn Balcombe. Discharged from the CMF 16/12/1940 with the rank of Sergeant in 2/7 Training Battalion. Enlisted in the 2nd AIF 17/12/1940 Regt No. VX52843 in 2/29th Battalion at Darnley Camp, embarked for Singapore 13.9.1941, disembarked 5.10.1941, reported missing 16.2.1942 then classified POW. He was recovered in Sumatra after the surrender. He was hospitalised with Malnutrition then classed Debility. Disembarked Sydney 9.10.1945. Discharged from the 2nd AIF on 20/12/1945 with the rank of Lieutenant. He was awarded a Mention in Despatches and the Efficiency Medal.Soft cover book. Cover - cardboard, white colour background, brown and black colour print on front, spine and back. Front cover illustration - sepia colour, half portrait of "A.E. Tranter". Back cover illustration - colour photograph two wreaths with railway line and sleepers. 168 pages, cut, plain white paper. Illustrated black and white photographs and maps. Attached after page 168 is one A4 sheet of paper, erratum of "Additional Research" information.publications, book, biography, ww2, arthur edmunt tranter

In 1943 Westralia was converted into a Landing Ship, Infantry. In this role, Westralia had a capacity of 933 soldiers, and was used primarily to transport units of the United States Army and Marine Corps. The ship arrived at Manus on 7th April 1945 befoe reaching Morotai on the 19th. The 2/24th Australian Infantry Battalion embarked for attack on Tarakan Island, Borneo. On 1 May – After preliminary bombardment by two cruisers and six destroyers ,troops of 26th Australian Infantry Brigade were landed. After the end of the war, Westralia was one of the ships at Ambon on 22 September 1945 for the surrender and occupation of the island where the 164 survivors of Gull Force prisoners had already been taken off on 10 September. She was later used for the repatriation of Australian troops, before being paid off in September 1946. The ship earned five battle honours for her wartime service: Silver frame containing black and white image of a ship at seaGold coloured plaque attached top right "HMAS Westralia" - 2/24th AUST INF BATT TARAKAN ISLAND BORNEO 1ST MAY, 1945hmas westralia, 2/24th aust inf battalion

Instrument of Surrender of Japanese Fores under the Command or Control of the Supreme Commander Japanese Expeditionary Forces Southern Regions within the Operational Theatre of the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia. Signed at Singapore on 12/9/1945 by Louis Mountbatten Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia.Gold coloured metal frame containing document with logo at top and signatures and red stamp belowInstrument of Surrender of Japanese Fores under the Command or Control of the Supreme Commander Japanese Expeditionary Forces Southern Regions within the Operational Theatre of the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asiajapanese surrender, ww2, singapore, 12/9/1945

OFF SAMARINDA, BORNEO. 1945-09-08. AUSTRALIAN AND JAPANESE OFFICERS DISCUSS THE SURRENDER OF THE JAPANESE FORCES IN DUTCH BORNEO ON THE QUARTERDECK OF THE FRIGATE HMAS BURDEKIN.Black and white photograph of uniformed men around table on board ship at seaww2, japanese surrender, borneo, hmas burdekin

Fragments of a 1945 newspaper - The Age: Dramatic End to World War, 1945world war two, end of war, prisoner of war, douglas macarthur, atomic bomb, surrender, mamoru shigemitsu, repatriation, war memorials, catalina, a.w. keown, d. vernon

Stand Easy - After the Defeat of Japan 1945; Green hardcover with light green text and picture of soldier. The spine also has light green text of title. The inside front and back covers have green art geometric patterns. Illustrations, photographs, cartoons: 208 pages non-fiction A collection of personal stories which extended from the collection of Khaki and Green. The service numbers have been used to identify those who have contributed to the content.blamey, nerve war, medical evacuation, 2nd australian corps, surrender of japan, bougainville, borneo, 5th australian division, 6th australian division, 7th australian division, 9th australian division, tarakan, military - history, warfare

The Instrument of Surrender signed at Singapore by Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten for the Allies and General Itagaki for the Japanese. During his time as Supreme Allied Commander of the Southeast Asia Theatre, Lord Mountbatten's command oversaw the recapture of Burma. A personal high point was the receipt of the Japanese surrender in Singapore when British troops returned to the island to receive the formal surrender of Japanese forces in the region led by General Itagaki on 12 September 1945, codenamed Operation Tiderace. General Itagaki was convicted of war crimes and executed inn 1948.The surrender of Imperial Japan was announced on August 15 and formally signed on September 2, 1945, bringing the hostilities of World War II to a close.Following the war, Mountbatten was known to have largely shunned the Japanese for the rest of his life out of respect for his men killed during the war, and as per his will, Japan was not invited to send diplomatic representatives to his funeral in 1979,Black frame with silver insert with glass of a photocopy of the Instrument of Surrender of the Japanese Forces. Script is in black on white paper with a red square seal at the bottom left, mounted on cream board.Instrument of surrender of Japanese Forces under the command or control of the Supreme Commander, Japanese Expeditionary forces, southern regions within the operational theatre of the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia. Signed at Singapore at 0341 hours (G.M.T.) on 12 September, 1945.wwii, world war 2, imperial japanese forces, surrender, singapore, japanese army

A WWII silk newspaper front page from The Selma Times Journal, September 2nd 1945, announcing the unconditional surrender by Japs completed at twenty minute ceremony. Sunday is proclaimed as VJ Day in global broadcast by Truman .... The end of the long road back. The Selma Times-Journal is a six-day-a-week newspaper located in Selma, Alabama. It publishes every day of the week except Monday. It is owned by Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based Boone Newspapers Inc. The paper was founded as the Selma Courier on November 2, 1827, by Thomas Jefferson Frow.Brown timber frame containing red and white silk scarf featuring newspaper headline above picture of a flag and map of JapanThe Selma times Journal dated September 2 1945silk scarf, the selma times journal, 2nd september 1945, ww2

Original copy of report prepared and signed by Linton Lancashire VX84376 V29336 and attachments on the Japanese surrender of Dutch Borneo. Two page typed copy report of the ceremony and negotiations leading to the Japanese Surrender of Dutch Borneo signed by L Lancashire WO1 2/5 Australian Field Ambulance. Three pages of typed copy outlining the ceremony for the signing by Vice Admiral KAMADA of the Instrument of Surrender aboard HMAS Gascoyne on 8 Sep 1945. Two pages of diagrams depicting layout for surrender ceremony. Original signed copy of report and attachments of the arrangements for the signing ceremony of the Japanese Surrender of Dutch Borneo on 8 Sep 1945. Seven pages of cream coloured foolscap paper with black typeJanpanese Surrender of Dutch Borneo 8th September, 1945japanese surrender of dutch borneo, hmas gascoyne, 8/9/1945, ww2

Instrument of Surrender marking the surrender of Japanese Forces by Vice Admiral Kamada to Australian Major General Edward James Milford on 8 September 1945. After the surrender of Japan, a Dutch military court convicted Kamada of war crimes for the executions of 1,500 west Borneo natives in 1944 and the ill treatment of 2,000 Dutch POWs held on Flores Island. Kamada was sentenced to death and was executed on 18 October 1947.Black and white photograph of documentinstrument of surrender, ww2