| Accession Number | PR05670 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Papers |
| Maker |
Badham, James Robert |
| Place made | New Guinea1: Papua New Guinea, East New Britain, Rabaul |
| Date made | 1941 |
| 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. |
Badham, James Robert (Lieutenant, b.1913 - d.1967)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX24728 Lieutenant James Robert ‘Jim’ Badham, 2/22 Australian Infantry Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Rabaul, New Britain, 1941.
Wallet 1 of 1 - Collection consists of one Christmas card from Lieutenant James Robert Badham to his mother, Mrs Florence Nellie Badham (née Ingham). The card features a photograph of Tavurvur, a volcano close to Rabaul on the island of New Britain. It was sent by Lieutenant Badham while he was serving in Rabaul with 2/22 Australian Infantry Battalion in 1941. In his card, Lieutenant Badham thanks his mother for the packages she had sent him and asks her to pass his greetings to a mutual acquaintance.
History / Summary
Lieutenant James Robert Badham enlisted to the Second Australian Imperial Force on 17 June 1940, after previously serving in the Militia. After a period of training, he embarked for service in Rabaul, New Britain with 2/22 Australian Infantry Battalion in April 1941. With this unit, Lieutenant Badham served as part of Lark Force, tasked with protecting airfields and a seaplane base near Rabaul. In January 1941, Lieutenant Badham was taken as a prisoner of war when the Japanese captured Rabaul. As a prisoner, he was interned in various prisoner of war camps, including Zentsuji Camp in Shikoku, Osaka, Japan. Lieutenant Badham was liberated after the war, and discharged on 9 January 1946.