| Place | Europe: Germany, Bavaria, Stalag XIII-C |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR06151 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Letter |
| Maker |
Mackenzie, D M |
| Place made | Germany |
| Date made | 1943 |
| 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. |
Don, Malcolm Stuart (Corporal, b.1911 - d.1943)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of NX2466 Corporal Malcolm Stuart Don, 2/1 Australian Infantry Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, Germany, 1943.
Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of one two-page letter from Staff Quartermaster-Sergeant D M Mackenzie, Man of Confidence of German prisoner of war camp Stalag 383, to Mr Alexander S Don, Corporal Don’s father. In his letter to Mr Don, dated 16 April 1943, Staff Quartermaster-Sergeant Mackenzie extends his sympathy regarding the death of Corporal Don, writes that he was highly respected in the camp and that he bravely did his duty, and reports the dispersal of his possessions.
History / Summary
Corporal Don enlisted to the Second Australian Imperial Force on 3 November 1939. He served with 2/1 Australian Infantry Battalion in the Middle East and Greece, but was captured in 1941 in Crete whilst fighting against the German land and airborne invasion. He was interned as a Prisoner of War (no. 10237) in Stalag XIIIc (Stalag 383) in Hammelburg am Main, Germany, where he conducted boxing and wrestling classes for fellow inmates. Corporal Don died of meningitis on 12 April 1943, aged 31. He was given a funeral with full military honours, attended by 4000 Allied troops interned in the camp. He is buried at Durnbach War Cemetery, Bayern, Germany.