| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR04686 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Document |
| Maker |
Potter, Alfred John |
| Place made | North Africa: Libya |
| Date made | 1941 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
| Copying Provisions | Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required. |
Potter, Alfred John (Private, b.1910 - d.1965)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of QX8231 Private Alfred John Potter, 2/15 Australian Infantry Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Libya, 1941.
Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of one report by Private Alfred John Potter, dated 21 August 1941. In this report, Private Potter describes events between 6 April and early June in which he was captured as a prisoner of war in Libya, interned at Derna Prisoner of War Camp, and subsequently escaped. In his report, Private Potter writes about being surrounded by enemy troops while travelling between towns, his impressions of the prisoner of war camp at Derna, daily activities, poor sanitation and hygiene measures, his successful escape, and his journey to find friendly forces. This journey involved walking long distances through the Libyan Desert, hiding from enemy troops, asking local people for assistance, travelling with other small parties of Allied troops, having limited food and water, and finally arriving at an Indian camp.