Taylor, William Illingworth (Lieutenant, b.1916 - d.2013)

Places
Accession Number PR00949
Collection type Private Record
Record type Collection
Measurement Extent: 2 cm; Wallet/s: 1
Object type Serial, Card, Document, Artwork
Maker Taylor, William Illingworth
Place made At sea, Australia, Netherlands East Indies: Halmahera Island, Morotai Island
Date made 1940-1945
Access Open
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copying Provisions Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Description

Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX14985 Lieutenant William Illingworth Taylor, 21st Infantry Brigade, then later staff artist with the 1st Australian Press Unit. A commercial artist and designer by profession Lieutenant Taylor served with the 1st Australian Press Unit from 1940 to 1945 as an artist and pictorial editor predominantly on 'The AIF News' and 'Table Tops' troop newspapers.

The collection consists of:

Folder 1: four sketches of HMAS Aquitania drawn on blank postcards, with descriptions on the back; a photocopy of a drawing of Sydney Harbour made from onboard the Aquitania; and a copy of the 'Ship's News' (troopship paper from the Aquitania), featuring Taylor's drawings in the banner. Taylor sailed with the 7th Division on HMAS Aquitania for the Middle East in October 1940.

Folder 2: newspaper cuttings related to the development of the 1st Army Press Unit.

Folder 3: copy of 'The Twenty First: on the 25th', Christmas Day 1940 - a Christmas booklet produced for members of 21st Infantry Brigade. The initial page extends Christmas and New Year wishes from the Commanding Officer, Brigadier J E S Stevens; the following pages contain various contributions from the men. Also in the folder is a report titled: 'Narrative of Syrian Operations, 21 Australian Infantry Brigade, 25 July 1941'.

Folder 4: three copies of 'AIF News' for December 1941 and March 1942 and the 1942 Christmas supplement; plus seventeen copies of 'Table Tops' or it's weekend supplement 'Ack Emma Foofs', covering the period January 1944 - August 1945. The August 1945 edition is a photocopy. 'AIF News' was a free newspaper produced for the troops, later replaced by 'Table Tops'.

Folder 5: a printed booklet 'Homeward Bound, 1943', produced for troops returning from the Middle East; a photocopied sketch for the 'AIF News' in 1942; a 1944 Christmas card from the Australia Press Unit' a 1942 'AIF News' Christmas card; and a newspaper cutting, report and foreign language material issued to members of the Allied Forces present at the formal surrender of the Second Japanese Army, from Advanced Headquarters Morotai on 9 September 1945, in relation to the Japanese surrender.