1943-45 Cards and covers from Lance Bombardier Alan Hall, se...

Hammer

£1,200

1943-45 Cards and covers from Lance Bombardier Alan Hall, sent during his captivity in Saigon and after his release, to his parents in Dorset. Thailand P.O.W cards comprising type 3 card (10 July 1943), type 4/5 cards (31 Jan & 15 May 1944) all with the return address shown as No. 1 P.O.W Camp Thailand, and scarce type 6 card from Saigon (21 Aug 1945), all with Japanese censors, the final card written six days after the Japanese surrenderer unusually still censored by the Japanese but also with "UNIT CENSOR / AA317". Also 1945 (Sep 8) stampless air letter with "RAFPOST 6" c.d.s of Rangoon, written from Saigon, content includes "In April 1942 we left Singapore and came to Saigon where I was one of the favoured 450 who stayed here until now. We had a hard time but not nearly so bad as those in Burma and Thailand as we were in a civilised country .... we did not get any letters for two years but now I have over a hundred, the last Air Mail card was in June 1944"; and a stampless Australian Red Cross lettercard from H.M.T "Ormonde" at Port Suez (Oct 13) which includes "I was fortunate not to be on the railway in Thailand but stayed in Indo-China, the address of the camps was the same. The letters which I received yesterday were the first since May 1945 which were all pre-March 1944...... Because of the envelope don't think I am in hospital. It is the only one I have". A rare and interesting correspondence from Saigon (see Tett vol.3, p.168-174). (6). Photo on Page 34.