Wallet 1 of 1 - Letter from Drene Walton Chenhall to his family, [1942]

Place Oceania: Territory of Papua and New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul
Accession Number AWM2019.22.131
Collection number PR03657
Collection type Digitised Collection
Record type File
Item count 1
Object type Letter
Physical description 3 Image/s captured
Maker Chenhall, Drene Walton
Place made New Guinea: Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul
Date made 1942
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Source credit to This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government.
Description

Letter relating to the Second World War service of VX129400 Sapper Drene Walton Chenhall, Fortress Engineers Rabaul, Royal Australian Engineers.
This letter was sent by Drene to his parents and his brother, Keith. The letter is undated but would have been written in 1942 and is perhaps the last letter sent to his family. In the letter he states that he has been captured and made a Prisoner Of War by the Japanese but he is alright. Drene hopes that his capture will be short and they'll all be together again.
On 1 July 1942 Drene was killed while travelling on the Japanese transport ship 'Montevideo Maru' when a US submarine 'Sturgeon' fired four torpedoes into the ship. It sunk killing almost all on board.