O’Connell, John Sturt (Lance Corporal, b.1908 - d.?)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of DX535 Lance Corporal John Sturt “Dar” O’Connell, HQ Platoon, 28 Australian Works Company, Australia and Netherlands East Indies, 1944-1945.

Folder One contains three letters from O’Connell to Maidee Pearce, a young family friend, and three letters to “Mick” (identity unknown). In his letters, dated between November 1944 and c. September 1945, O’Connell related his experiences of serving with the 28 Australian Works Company. Some of these experiences included receiving vaccinations, buying beer on the black market, having leave in Sydney and meeting a nurse he met while serving in Syria. He was then deployed to the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia), and wrote about the landscape, feeling unwell, being close to the fighting, the destruction of towns and the need to rebuild, saving up his beer rations, relying on the Americans for sea transport, receiving letters and parcels, censorship being lifted, bad feelings towards the Dutch, bad luck with gambling, and the time-consuming process of demobilisation.

Folder Two contains two letters from O’Connell to Maidee Pearce. These letters are dated c. September 1945. In the first letter, O’Connell writes about the signing of the Peace Terms by the Japanese, censorship being lifted, and sending film to Maidee’s family to be developed. In the second letter, which is incomplete, O’Connell writes about a birthday gift for Maidee.