Julia, Clifford Vincent (Private, b.1919 - d.1941)

Collection relating the Second World War service of VX34411 Private Clifford Vincent Julia, 2/24 Australian Infantry Battalion, Libya and Australia, 1940-1941.

Collection consists of two folders, the first of which contains letters written by Private Julia to his uncle, Vin. The letters span the period 25 July 1940 to 23 April 1941. The letters begin with Pte Julia's training in Australia, largely in Victoria. The letters then describe the journey aboard the SS Strathmore to the Middle East, and Pte Julia's arrival in Palestine. Many of the letters discuss time spent in Jerusalem, proposed trips to Tel Aviv, and detailed descriptions of training in the desert. A majority of the letters' content relates to home life in Australia, and responding to questions put forward by his uncle. The last three letters are written around the same time, as Pte Julia is marching towards Tobruk, where he would ultimately die. The second folder contains four letters and a returned letter envelope. These letters were written by Pte Julia's uncle and span the period 19 April to 11 May 1941 and are postmarked with "Australian Army Base Depot, reported missing". These were all returned to his uncle following Pte Julia's death. These letters all discuss general home affairs, including information about the well being of various friends and family, along with general comments on issues such as the speed of the postal service and the general state of the war.