Microscope and wooden case : Major A R Hazelton, Australian Army Medical Corps

Microscope made of steel and brass in original wooden carrying case. The case has a leather handle on the top and a hinged door which opens at the front. The door is secured by a small steel key. The microscope is screwed down to the base of the box. The side of the case has two sliding wooden compartments for storing glass slides and spare lenses. The microscope plate is also stored along the side of the box. The inside of the door has three paper labels stuck to it. The first gives instructions for removing the microscope from the box. The second label has the Colonial Military Service registration details and the third sets out the manufacturer's specifications.

Microscope acquired in Singapore, during his captivity, by NX35134 Major Alan Richard Hazelton of C Company, 2/10 Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps. Hazelton was born in Sydney in November 1915 and enlisted in the Medical Corps on 25 July 1940. He was taken prisoner of war in Singapore in February 1942 and was held in camps along the Burma-Thai railway where he was the Senior Medical Officer for 'D Force' and at Nakom Pathom Base Camp in Thailand. He returned to Australia after the war.