Description

1943 (Jun 5) Australian Red Cross, c/o Japanese Red Cross Society Tokyo POW printed single solid bar stationary stampless envelope to V.X. 57793 Lieut. H.G. Gunn, 2/1st Heavy Battery, A.I.F., Australian POW, Timor from Point Lonsdale, Vic. cancelled Melbourne date stamp & with violet framed 3 /Passed /By /Censor /310 handstamp on face & on reverse 3 Opened By Censor label in two opposing lines tied by censors handstamp & on face double strike red Japanese Censor mark reading Ken’etsuzumi (Censored) with oval censor’s chop of Suzuki inserted with violet framed Java Fu Honshu (Java POW Headquarters) followed by 242 being POW number of Gunn ….2/1st Heavy Artillery Battery comprising 132 men together with other units including some British making a total of 1500 + was formed as “Sparrow Force” in late 1941 to defend Timor. 2/1st were stationed at Koepang & were surrounded by the Japanese who landed on 20 Feb ’42 & they surrendered on 23 Feb. In September ’42 the POW’s were taken on Dai Nichi Maru to Soerabaja, Java & remained or later were dispersed to various other camps. No mail is known from or to the POW’s whilst they were held on Timor. See Proud Australian Military Postal Services & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparrow_Force