| Place | Asia: Burma Thailand Railway |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL29496.002 |
| Collection type | Technology |
| Object type | Optical equipment |
| Physical description | Wood |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Burma |
| Date made | Unknown |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
Teak case for microscope : Captain C R B Richards, 2/15 Field Regiment
Description
Hand made teak case secured by steel nails and staples. It has a tongue and groove sliding lid with a wooden bar to assist opening. There are the remains of a paper label on the lid. The base of the box is made in several sections of differently stained wood.
History / Summary
This microscope case was made in Burma in 1943 by one of the No Duty prisoners of A Force along the Burma-Thai railway. The microscope had been acquired by NX26688 Sergeant Jim Armstrong, in late January 1942 from a deserted rubber plantation hospital, and passed to his Regimental Medical Officer, NX70273 Captain Charles Rowland Bromley (Rowley) Richards while they were attached to 2/15 Field Regiment, 8 Australian Division in Southern Jahore during the Malayan Campaign. Both Armstrong and Richards were captured at the fall of Singapore and imprisoned by the Japanese. During their captivity both men served in A Force along the Burma-Thai Railway. Richards was discharged on 7 December 1945 and Armstrong on 27 February 1946.