Enlistment presentation wallet: Private Roudolph Correicllo, 2/7 Battalion, AIF

Rectangular brown leather single fold wallet with eight internal pockets. The front is gold embossed with the City of Kew, Victoria coat of arms, under which is embossed: 'PRESENTED BY / THE MAYOR, COUNCILLORS AND CITIZENS / OF THE / CITY OF KEW / TO / R. CORREICLLO / ON ENLISTMENT FOR ACTIVE SERVICE ABROAD / 1939'.

Wallet presented to VX59120 Private Roudolph Correicllo, 2/7 Battalion, upon his enlistment in 1939. Correicllo's grandfather, an Italian, moved to Chile in the late 19th century where Roudolph's father Domenico was born in December 1895. The family then emigrated to Victoria, Australia. Domenico enlisted in the First AIF once the family was naturalised in 1915, and served in France as a private under service number 1849, with 31 Battalion.

His son, also Roudolph was born in Lilydale on 2 September 1922 and attempted to enlist in 1939 (as commemorated on the wallet), but at age 17, would have been rejected. Correicllo's actual enlistment date is 7 July 1941 and he was posted to 2/7 Battalion. He missed the early Western Desert campaigns, Greece and Crete but served with 2/7 Battalion in Syria and returned to Australia via Ceylon before service in New Guinea. The battalion was defending Vickers Ridge against the Japanese 'Tiger' Division (29 Division) in the Wau Salamaua region in early August 1943. The battalion history, 'Fiery Phoenix' states (p 271): 'On August 6, the operational situation eased somewhat and it became possible for the authorities to push supplies ... into the battle zone. ... Late in the afternoon of the 6th, the enemy guns on Kela Hill again shelled the A Company area. The 7th and 8th were confined to patrolling. The Japanese were unusually quiet. ... Enemy snipers became very active on the 9th, one responsible for the death of Private R Corricello (sic)'. He is buried at Lae War Cemetery.