| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR00837 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | 15cm (approx. 80 items) |
| Object type | Papers |
| Maker |
Watson, Charles Matthew Tennent |
| Date made | 1941-1996 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required. |
Watson, Charles Matthew Tennent
Description
Papers of VX50109 Lance Corporal Charles Matthew Tennent (Chas) Watson (4th Australian Reserve Motor Transport Company), documenting mainly his service in Malaya before the fall of Singapore (1941-42) and as a Japanese prisoner of war (1942-45). They comprise:
(i) original diary dated March 1941-November 1943 in two formats, 7x10cms and 26x20cms
(ii) manuscript transcription of the diary, begun in 1975 (483 pages)
(iii) bound typed transcription of the diary titled 'Tears of Gratitude' (1996), and an illustrated biography of Watson, both compiled by Isabel Watson and Stella Lees
(iv) original lists of names ('The Survivors of the Black Hole of Burma')
(v) letters of Watson to his wife Isabel (April 1941-January 1942 and September 1945), POW lettercards and official telegrams
(vi) photographs
(vii) discharge papers, news clippings and printed material. Watson was captured in Singapore in February 1942 and the diary records his captivity at Changi, Victoria Point (building an aerodrome), Tavoy and Ye in Burma, and Thanbyuzayat, 4 Kilo, 14 Kilo, 75 Kilo, 105 Kilo, 55 Kilo Camps in Thailand working on the Thailand-Burma Railway.