Historical information

Arthur Lock was born in Newport, England and migrated to Australia with his widowed mother in 1924. After spending time in Queensland, he moved to Victoria where he enlisted in the Australian Army at Royal Park, Melbourne on 17 Jun 1940. His service number was VX31240. After basic training, Arthur was enlisted into the 2/23rd Battalion which was raised as part of the all-volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force and assigned to the 26th Brigade. The battalion was moved to Bonegilla, Victoria, and 2/23rd Battalion became known as "Albury's Own".
Arthur saw service in the Middle East and Africa where he was involved in the siege at Tobruk, becoming one of the Rats of Tobruk. He also served in El Alamein, New Guinea, Borneo and Tarakan.

In his post war life, Arthur dedicated much time and energy to the Scouting movement and in 1972 was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to young people and the community in Wodonga, Victoria.

Significance

This item is part of a collection of items owned by Arthur Lock, a member of the 2/23rd Battalion, an all-volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force which served as part of the garrison during the Siege of Tobruk, then at El Alamein, New Guinea and Borneo. It has particular local significance as the battalion was know as "Albury's Own" because a large majority of the battalion's initial intake of volunteers came from the Albury–Wodonga region.

Physical description

A black and white photo of Private Arthur Lock taken whilst on service in the Middle East.