Mementoes

These are pictures of some of the items related to Stalag 18A which I have received over the last few months.

	Posted Missing Letter: This letter was received by the wife of Driver Maurice Robinson, RASC, on 18 July 1941, almost three months after he was reported 'missing' on 28 April 1941.
	Notification from The New Zealand Red Cross that Gnr William Fountain, 2NZEF was a POW in Greece.
	A letter sent from the Regimental Pay Office to the wife of Spr Jim Sanderson, RE, informing her of the allowances available.
	A postcard sent by Gnr Ian Houston, RA, in May 1941 from a POW holding camp in Greece (probably Salonika), to his mother, informing her that he was a Prisoner of War.
	A postcard sent by Cpl Patrick Fury, 8th Hussars, in 1941, indicating that he was a Prisoner of War.
	A clipping from the Natal Daily News showing the photographs of several Servicemen from Natal who had been captured or wounded. It includes the picture of Gunner Douglas Hill who ended up in Stalag 18A.
	POW Identity plate
	Red Cross Letter: Sent to the wife of Trooper David Fulton of 4th Queens Own Hussars on 9 July 1941, noting that he was missing in action and asking for personal details so that the Red Cross could trace his location.
	POW Record Card: The Record Card of Signalman Jack Newport of the Royal Corps of Signals. At the time that this card was completed,  he was located in Stalag XVIIID at Marburg.
	The Lager Pass from Stalag XVIIIA of L/Cpl Bill Jardine, 4th Hussars.
	A Travel Warrant brought back by French POW Charles Moreau, 506eme Rgt de Chars de Combat (Tank Rgt)
	A Medical Chart from a POW hospital for Gnr William Fountain, 2NZEF following an appendix operation.
	A Discharge Certificate from Stalag 18A Hospital for Gnr William Fountain, 2NZEF, sending him back to Work Camp 13048/L. Unfortunately, the Doctor's diagnosis is unreadable but according to the Certificate, he recovered!
	This picture was sent to me by Bill Godwin-Toby, an ex-patriate Canadian working in Austria. While he was staying in a small hotel near Graz in Austria, he noticed this cushion in the lounge. The owners of the hotel had no knowledge of its origins. Presumably it was made by a POW in Stalag 18A.
	4th Hussars badge drawn by Corporal Pat Fury.
	This imposing document is, in fact, the cover for a Driving Licence, brought back by Sapper Alan Glass, Royal Engineers.
	The front cover of a  letter written on a 'Feldpost' form by Pte Donald Fetter to his mother in Norwood, New York, USA.
	Tom Donaldson, Corporal in 18 Bn. 2NZEF, was Man of Confidence at Work Camp 100L. These are two postcards he received from other camps as part of his duties.
	The reverse of the above postcards.
	The Program of a Pantomime ('Babes in the Wood') presented on Christmas Day, 1941.
	The Service Record of Alfred Meyers which records his movements from Sydney to England, North Africa and Greece and then to Stalag 18A. He was posted as 'Killed in Action' in May 1941.
	A portrait in ink of William Ion (Work Camp 924/GW), created in July 1942 by J Ward, another POW.
	A portrait of Corporal Pat Fury, 4th Hussars drawn by A Duggan, POW 1090 at a Work Camp in Flachau.
	A birthday card created by Corporal Pat Fury and sent to his wife and daughter.
	A drawing brought back by Pte John Spence, 2/4 Inf. Bn., AIF.
	A mat for playing the game of Crown and Anchor, created by POWs in Stalag 18A. Over 300 POWs have written their names on the mat. The original is now on display in the Australian War Memorial.
	A Christmas card created in 1942 from the Greeting Card inserted with a Red Cross Parcel.
	The reverse of the above card showing the names and POW numbers of the members of Room 1/6, Lavamund Work Camp.
	A Christmas card sent in 1943 by Gnr John Braysher, RA. The original was drawn by POW Thomas Burke in Stalag XXA and printed by the POW newspaper 'The Camp'.
	A sketch of Spittal-an-der-Drau drawn by Sgt Maj Allan Stockfeld, AIF, drawn during his short stay in Stalag 18B before being transferred to Stalag 383 at Hohenfels.
	Postcard of Graz brought back by Pte John McWilliams, 2/28 Inf. Bn.. AIF.
	These two pages are from a diary created out of Izal toilet paper (I always knew that stuff was tough!)by Charles Thompson, Royal Artillery. They list the contents of successive Red Cross parcels.
	The cover of a Red Cross Parcel sent to Sapper Alan Glass, Royal Engineers.
	Instructions to Next-of-Kin for the preparation of Red Cross parcels to be sent to a POW. (Cpl Pat Fury, 8th Hussars)
	List of typical contents of a Standard Food Parcel prepared by the Red Cross. (Dvr Bernard Cross, RASC)
	A list showing the contents of a Red Cross parcel sent from New Zealand to Colin Ratcliffe of 19Bn, 2NZEF in November 1943.
	Similar Red Cross parcel lists sent to Spr Jim Sanderson, RE, in 1944
	The program for the Panto 'Robin Hood' put on at Niklasdorf Work Camp at Christmas, 1943.
	One of these two young girls is Nina, a Russian slave worker. The picture was taken in October 1944 by Pte Sidney Quick, 2/43 Inf. Bn.
	An darkly ironic Christmas card from 1944 'celebrating' the bombing raid on Stalag 18A by the USAF.
	A notebook kept by Fred Wilson of 2/32 Infantry Battalion, Australia outlining his movements from his capture at El Alamein in 1942, through Italy and Austria and then home via Hungary, Romania, Russia, Italy and the UK.
	A Certificate indicating that Pte Arthur Anderson, 2/6 Inf. Bn., AIF, had been examined by a Medical Commission in October, 1944 and was deemed eligible for repatriation.
	A similar Certificate concerning the repatriation of Sapper Bill Miles, RE. Bill was captured at El Alamein, spent time as a POW in Italy before being repatriated from Stalag 18A in February 1945 suffering from T.B.
	The Certificate of Repatriation of Sapper Bill Miles, RE.
	A notice to ex-POWs being repatriated through Switzerland, brought back by Arthur Anderson.
	A list of POW Rights printed in German and dropped from Allied aircraft to encourage German soldiers to give themselves up, brought back by Gnr John Lynch, RA.
	A Safe Conduct for any German soldier who wishes to give himself up, also brought back by Gnr Lynch.
	A Recovered Allied POW Form issued by the Third US Army, completed by Driver William Maris on his release from Stalag 18A.
	A Repatriation Statement completed by Gunner Alfred Meyers in the UK on 29 May 1945 prior to his return to Australia. Amongst other things, this indicates that Alfred had to work 14 to 16 hours per day on a farm for the sum of 18.20 Marks per month.
	The fly-leaf of a bible given to James Dolan, RAMC by Paul Juneau, the R.C. Chaplain at Stalag 18A. James Dolan was not a POW and so he must have met Paul Juneau after the war ended, possibly in Austria.
	Les Shardlow, John McWilliams and Ed Reibeling, all of 2/28th Inf. Bn. Photo taken after their successful escape from Markt Pongau in 1945.
	Telegram sent by Dvr Frank Laws, RASC from Naples in May 1945 to his wife in Dorset, telling her that he was on his way home.