| Accession Number | AWM2017.7.385 |
|---|---|
| Collection number | PR04066 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | File |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Letter |
| Physical description | 1 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Doe, Thomas Charles |
| Place made | At sea: Nearest landform, At sea (Australia) |
| Date made | 1916 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copying Provisions | Digital format and content protected by copyright. |
Letter from Thomas Charles Doe to his family, 1916
Description
Letter relating to the First World War service of 13055 Driver (Dvr) Thomas Charles Doe.
This collection consists of a one page letter that was written by Dvr. Doe and thrown overboard in a bottle. Dvr. Doe enlisted in Melbourne and embarked aboard HMAT Persic on 20 December 1916. While sailing across the Great Australian Bight on Christmas Day, he threw the bottle overboard. The single paged letter expresses Christmas sentiments to his loved ones. The bottle was discovered on Western Rock Beach, Port Sinclair, south of Penong in South Australia in 1968. The bottle was broken to extract the envelope inside. The envelope fell apart, but the letter was largely intact. The letter was returned to the family and later donated to the Memorial.
Driver Doe went on to serve in France. He survived the war and returned to Australia in 1919.