Description

“1945 (Sep 22) Stamp less AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY LETTER CARD to Surrey Hills, Victoria endorsed Ex P.O.W. Mail, Airmail from Pte Wicks J.A.K. , VX 29343, 2/29 Bn. A.I.F., 14th A.G.H, Singapore cancelled faint but readable violet AUST FIELD P.O. 251 (24 Sep) which was No 2 POW Reception Unit, Changi, Singapore from 15 Sep – 27 Nov 1945 & rare ….Excellent contents from Wicks writing to his mother “”Still doing well but longing for mail from home. I have been writing to you every day since being freed. It is rather hard for us to adjust ourselves to the new conditions of life. The crowd here are very decent to us and we find it difficult to complain. The main trouble is that we have no cigarettes. In the four days we have been here we have had only 20 cigarettes. The food is very light & we have to stand in queues for hours to get a meal. If they would only pay us we would be all right as we could buy food & cigarettes outside. However enough of these complaints, I suppose we will be all right when we get to Australia”” etc. The 2/29th Battalion 800 – 900 strong moved to Malaya in September ’41 & saw action mid January ’42 alongside the 45th Indian Inf. Brigade around Muar & fought a fighting withdrawal via the jungle to Singapore arriving with a heavily depleted force of just 130 men….See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2/29th_Battalion_(Australia) “