| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR05160 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Poem |
| Maker |
Berry, Alexander Osborn |
| Place made | Malaya, Thailand |
| Date made | 1941-1945 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
Berry, Alexander Osborn (Sergeant, b.1910 - d.1990)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of QX4183 Sergeant Alexander Osborn Berry, 2/10 Field Regiment, Second Australian Imperial Force, Malaya and Thailand, 1941-1945.
Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of eight typewritten poems written by Sergeant Berry between October 1941 and 12 May 1945. The poems are titled 'Mothers’ Day', 'On my Enlistment', 'To One I Love', 'Australia! My Home!', 'Reminiscences', 'Our Fallen Pals', 'Why War?', and 'Memorial Day'. In his poems, Sergeant Berry writes about remembering loved ones far away, his motivations for enlisting, his service in New Guinea, missing friends that were killed in action, his reflection on the pain and destruction of war, and the commemoration of those that lost their lives.
History / Summary
Sergeant Alexander Osborn Berry enlisted to the Second Australian Imperial Force on 20 October 1939. He served with 2/10 Field Regiment in Malaya, but was taken by the Japanese as a prisoner of war in early 1942. He was initially interned at Changi Prisoner of War Camp, but was later transported to a camp in Thailand. After the war, Sergeant Berry returned to Australia, and was discharged on 9 May 1946.