Wallet 1 of 1 – Copies of letters from John Graham Antill Pockley to his mother, 1914-1915

Collection relating to the service of Lieutenant (Lt) John Graham (known as Jack) Antill Pockley, 33 Battalion, AIF, Australia, at sea, England, France, 1915-1918. Collection consists of twenty-five handwritten extracts from letters written by Lt Pockley to his mother, Helen Pockley, and two letters of condolence written to Mrs Pockley after the death of her son in March 1918. The location of the original letters is unknown.

Wallet 1 of 1 – Copies and extracts of letters relating to the World War One service of Lieutenant John Graham Antill Pockley, 33rd Australian Infantry Battalion, 1914-1915.

The early letters are aboard troopships to England, in which Lieutenant Pockley noted that censorship meant he cannot write in detail. One of his tasks was censoring the letters of other men. While aboard ship, he described meeting soldiers who saw action at the Dardanelles. His letters became less common after arrival in Europe. Pockley mentions the death of some men, including Captain Francis Bramall Metcalfe, and an incident when a bombing officer accidentally destroyed his own hand. After being placed in command of B Company he was wounded by a machine gun bullet and ordered stretcher-bearers to withdraw one of the NCOs under his command before carrying him from the field; he died before they returned. Lieutenant Pockley was killed in action on Easter Saturday, 30 March 1918.

The folder also includes two handwritten copies of letters of condolence written to Mrs Pockley after the death of her son and a handwritten note about Lieutenant Pockley's service.