Tobacco pouch : Bombardier A F Gauld, 2/10 Field Regiment

Handmade leather tobacco pouch with metal zipper. The zipper pull is stamped 'LIGHTNING'. The pouch contains tobacco and cigarettes from the Second World War period.

Tobacco pouch used by QX10129 Bombardier Alan Forbes Gauld during the Second World War. Gauld made the pouch while a prisoner of the Japanese from 'anything that could be pinched'.

Gauld was born on 11 September 1915. Before enlistment with 2/10 Field Regiment at Toowoomba on 19 June 1940 he worked as a garage proprietor. On the 22 October 1940 Gauld was promoted to acting bombardier and detached to Singapore for duty on the 26 April 1941.

While in Malaya, Gauld was temporarily detached to the 2/26th Battalion on 5 October 1941 for a course, returning to his unit five days later. On 15 February 1942 he was captured by the Japanese and became a Prisoner of War. In March 1943 he left Changi prisoner of war camp in Singapore with D Force for Thailand to work on the Thai-Burma railway.

After three and a half years as a prisoner, Gauld was recovered from Thailand on 20 August 1945. and embarked from Singapore for Australia aboard the ship, Moreton Bay on 15 October, arriving in Australia on 1 November. Gauld was discharged from the AIF on the 4 April 1946.