My brother and I were aware of the existence of our parents'
letters as they had for many years been stored in a well used damp
garage. Upon our parents death the family papers were entrusted to
Dennis' care and upon investigating a small old cardboard suitcase
held together by a dilapidated pair of tights these letters and
cables were found; the photographs being in a family album were
better protected and survived also.
Having fond memories of the years we spent in Australia during the
war, I read the letters and found that they told the personal story
of a family separated by war. When you read them you are in effect
looking over the shoulder of George and Vi as they write, these are
their words, nothing has been left out but I would advise that as a
result of wartime censorship the contents of ones letters had to be
restricted.If George or Vi's comments offend anybody then let me
apologize in advance. However, as most of the main characters have
probably died I don't think anybody will take exception.
William Henry (George) was born to William and Emily Carlton at 22
Burdett Chambers, Burdett Street, near what is now the Imperial War
Museum in London on the 4th of February 1906. At about the age of
seven, he had to walk to Covent Garden in the early hours of the
morning to wash vegetables for which he was rewarded by being given
a breakfast of kippers and a pint of beer before going off to
school. By the age of twelve he had graduated to driving a horse
and cart delivering bread. William joined the Royal Army Medical
Corp as a boy bugler in 1921 and so to man service as a clerk in
1924 where he gained the nickname of George. During his service in
Egypt he met Ellen Violet(Vi) the eldest daughter of Warrant
Officer and Mrs Mann. They married in England in 1932, and had two
sons, Richard and Dennis. George and his family were posted to
Singapore in 1938 where he was commissioned as a Lieutenant
(Quarter Master), in December 1941.
As a result of the Japanese invasion of Malaya and their rapid
advance down the peninsula; we, that is Vi, Richard and Dennis were
evacuated from Singapore on the P & O liner Orion to Australia
on the first of January 1942, our father being in the Army remained
behind. We arrived in Melbourne via Freemantle with one suitcase, a
sewing machine and a limited amount of money that included a
Singapore Dollar. We were given temporary accommodation in the
Victoria Palace Hotel, Little Collins Street, Melbourne, eventually
moving to a bungalow in Sandringham with fellow evacuees Mrs.
Gladys Barnett and her daughter Josephine. Thus the story as told
in these letters unfolds.
However, before starting to read, We would remind the reader that
in these so called modern times when you can contact your loved
ones so easily by Phone, Text, Fax or E-mail we tend to forget, or
are unaware, that during the war in the Far East people lived their
lives apart for years with only a letter, photograph, or just a
fading memory to remind them of each other. Many spent a lonely
horrific life in prison camps, on the battlefield, in the air, at
sea or at home waiting for news. To all those soldiers, sailors,
airmen, civilians and camp followers we would like to dedicate this
work of love, and especially to the kind people of Australia who
provided shelter and a home for our family. Finally when reading
these letters please remember that the peoplementioned are only
human.
General
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