| Place | Europe: Italy, Sicily |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR05830 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | 1 wallet: 1 cm. |
| Object type | Diary |
| Maker |
Mellor, Reginald White |
| Place made | Germany |
| Date made | 1943-1944 |
| 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. |
Mellor, Reginald White (Warrant Officer, b.1916 - d.2002)
Description
Collection relating to 407906 Warrant Officer Reginald White Mellor, 458 Squadron, RAAF. Collection consists of an original 'Wartime log' (diary) kept by WO Mellor while a prisoner of war in Germany. The diary contains names and addresses, poems, sayings, cartoons, currency, stamps, and photographs of his family. It has been illustrated with two hand-drawn maps of his route from capture in Italy to various camps in Germany, and many scenes of camp life. It also contains strips of silver foil, a radar countermeasure known as 'window' or 'chaff', from allied raids over Bremen and Hamburg in 1944. Three loose sheets are enclosed in the back pocket.
WO Mellor entlisted in Adelaide on 3 February 1941 and embarked for overseas service on 2 November 1941. On 24 March 1943 while serving with 458 Squadron, a Wellington bomber in which he was an observer was hit by flak and crashed over Sicily. Captured at Trapani, he was taken from Sicily to various prisoner of war camps in Germany. He was liberated from Stalag 357 by allied armys in 1945.