Holiday unprecedented-isolated

Most people of our age grew up very much with Anzac Day and the Second World War very much on our shoulders. Family members were often returned service men and whilst stories of war experience from those who returned were rare, there were stories of hardships experienced at home (perhaps more so in the UK) and efforts made from those at home for the war cause.

As tradition often dictates medals are kept by the older descendants, I cannot show family medals. These are in the best care and much appreciated by other family members. However, I do have a few photo’s and items for a little display each April.

Photo’s of my paternal grandfather, father, uncle (Lex), and John’s Dad. Lex’s slouch hat and buttons from his uniform have survived. There is also some ‘trench art’ in the form of a salt & pepper shaker set made from bullets in WW2. This is not a family item but something found under a house John was renovating in North Caulfield and which the then owner did not want.

Probably my favourite item is an envelope addressed to my mother (maiden name Devitt) which was posted in Bombay, India in 1940 - from my father. It has a sketch of a soldier looking to the horizon and home. Not sure that Dad drew the picture as there is a name “E Lambert” written in pencil below the picture. E Lambert could have been the artist or a censor. It is addressed not to her home which was a couple of streets away but to her sister’s millinery shop. Mum did the books for her sister in addition to her day job.

There is no letter - I think the only reason it survived was because of the stamp as stamps were collected in that household. Bit of an enigma - it elicits more questions than answers.Read more