Kavanagh, Charles William (Gunner, b.1920)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of NX20255 Gunner Charles William Kavanagh, 2/15th Field Regiment, 1941-1942.

Kavanagh enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in May 1941. He was allocated to the 29th Battery of the 2/15th Field Regiment and, in August, embarked for garrison duties with the 8th Division in Malaya. The collection consists of nine letters Kavanagh sent to his friend Austin between August 1941 and February 1942. The first letter was written from the troopship and describes the rough voyage, his duties as a "man server" on the ship, and his dislike of the food on board.

Subsequent correspondence was sent from Malaya and Singapore. Kavanagh writes of the heat, humidity and heavy tropical rain, of the quality of the local produce, and of the beauty of the beach sunsets. He also describes a visit to a local village, leave at the Anzac Club in Singapore, and his barrack accommodations. The letters similarly reference Raffles Hotel, cheap cigarettes and Tiger beer, Armistice Day, and Kavanagh’s desire to do away with training and get on with the "real work". Kavanagh also expresses perceptions of the local Chinese and Indian populations and writes of friends visiting brothels and massage parlours in Singapore.

The final letter was written after the Japanese invasion of Malaya and depicts Kavanagh’s experiences during the Battle of Muar in January 1942. He describes the intense fear and terror expressed by some of the local civilians, Japanese air raids on his regiment’s position, and the work of his battery to shell the Japanese. The letter delves into graphic detail on the destruction wrought by bombs and artillery and covers the 2/15th Field Regiment’s fighting withdrawal through Malaya.

Kavanagh, along with the majority of his regiment, became a prisoner of war to the Japanese following the capitulation of Singapore on 15 February 1942. He spent the subsequent three and a half years in prison and labour camps in Malaya, Thailand and Japan, before he was liberated in September 1945.