We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the place now called Victoria, and all First Peoples living and working on this land. We celebrate the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture and pay respect to Elders — past, present and future.
Please be aware that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Some material may contain terms that reflect authors’ views, or those of the period in which the item was written or recorded but may not be considered appropriate today. These views are not necessarily the views of Victorian Collections.
Users of this site should be aware that in many areas of Australia, reproduction of the names and photographs of deceased people is restricted during a period of mourning. The length of this time varies and is determined by the community.
Reuse of any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander material on this site may require cultural clearances. Users are advised to contact the source organisation to discuss appropriate reuse.
Photograph album containing photos of Australian troops being transported to England. The photographs shows life aboard an unknown transport ship to England. The ship stopped at Cape Town and Colombo and there are photos off the coast of Dakar, West Africa. The photos also show some photographs of English village life.
Some descriptions under the photographs.
RAN Sailor's Cap; detachable tally band
H.M.A.S. CEREBUS (around rim) H.C.HART (hand-written, inside)
Aluminium army canteen
Nil
Steel Helmet, Model "M1916"
ET6 (small indented stamp inside near rim). Indicates manufactured by Eisenhuth Werke Thale (spelling?)
Navy blue pants
Size 10 Esquire Pty Ltd made in Australia
Dark navy blue jacket From WW1 RAAF Battle Jacket. Size 10
Officer cadet unit -Stripe on each epaulette Shoulder badge insignia
Shirt, Blue, RAN Sailor dress No.8
Badge Electronic Technician - Communication Badge Australia
Hector Charles Hart served in the RAN for 11 Years
Navy Blue
C.O.C.F, RAN Made in Australia
Photographic record of overseas places visited by local resident who was a member of armed service during WW2. Des Nicholson was born in Northcote in 1909. He enlisted in the military in mid 1940, having already served 2 years in the Citizens’ Forces. Before he signed up, he lived in Kew with his mother, Isabella. His enlistment documents indicate that he was employed as a transport driver, although his discharge papers state that he was a hairdresser. His photo album shows pictures of him demonstrating skills in that area in various deployments overseas; his enlistment documents refer to his unit being the 8th Division Petrol Company, while for much of his service he was assigned to Nursing Duties in the 2/7 Australian General Hospital. His overseas postings included travels through India to the Middle East, Egypt and Greece. While fulfilling these duties, he was an interested photographer, keeping records of the sights he saw in many of the places he visited, as well as photos of the military living conditions and the people he worked with on a day-to-day basis. The ‘tourist’ photos Des took would be of particular interest as a current-day comparison for those folk who might be familiar with the locations he passed through. After the war, Des again lived with his mother but eventually, in 1953, he married Kathleen Watson who lived in Eltham. The wider Watson family was well-known in the area, and the sisters Kathleen and Ruby were residents in the Glen Park area in Eltham North. After Des and Kath married they continued to live in Kath and Ruby’s house near where the current soccer and cricket sporting complex is now located. Ruby never married and they evidently stayed in the same place until, one by one, they each died in the early 2000s.
Photos taken by a resident of Eltham while on active service overseas
Photo Album
On Front Cover: DAVID'S TOWER JERUSALEM
photographs, ww2, overseas, india, middle east
Crossed Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) Rifles.
Dark Navy Blue Wool Beret
Manufactured by Hills Hats New Zealand 1992 Name - ‘Pascoe’ written in marker pen. Size - Large. Number - 3806243. Internal badge mounting with black lining cover. Black ribbed ribbon edging.
Wooden shield with plaque painted onto haut relief carved badge
On Shield: USS FIFE DD-991 SUCCESSUM MERERE CONEMUR On Presentation Plate: PRESENTED TO NAVY LEAGUE OF AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE CHAPTER FROM COMMANDING OFFICER USS FIFE (DD–991)
Presentation to Navy League from representatives of USS Mount Hood
Ceramic Badge on Wooden Shield
On Plaque: USS MOUNT HOOD AE29 On Presentation Plate: PRESENTED TO NAVY LEAGUE OF VICTORIA 25 – 28 APR 97
Hellfire Pass was a location on the Burma Railway which POWs constructed under instructions from Japanese military.
Letter from Kevin Myers who was a member of the team that constructed the memorial at Hellfire Pass in 1989.
Fold-out sheet of paper showing and describing the details of locations along the railway; part of a numbered series of maps
Retrieved from original location by Kevin Myers during official military preparations for a Hellfire Pass memorial in recognition of the allied POW lives lost during construction of the Burma-Thailand railway during WW2.
Direct connection between local (Montmorency and Victorian) soldiers in WW2 and the work undertaken by allied prisoners of the Japanese Army.
Steel spikes used in construction of the Burma-Thailand railway during WW2.
None
prisoner of war, burma, ww2, railway
Jungle green uniform - VIETNAM
cordwell
Victorian Collections acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
