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Signed flag carried by C Company 2/29 Battalion, along the Burma-Thailand railway
Australian War Memorial caption reads:
Physical description:
Cotton; Leatherette; Wool flannel; Printed cotton Union Jack with leatherette reinforced corners on the hoist, each with a pair of strings attached to it. In the centre of the flag is a wool flannel colour patch for 2/29 Battalion. Written around the patch, in purple indelible pencil, is 'CAPT. W.B. BOWRING. VX44362 O.C. C COMPANY 2/29 BATT. 8th. DIV.'. The names of 84 men, nearly all from 2/29 Battalion, but with a few from 2/26 Battalion, are written in the same indelible pencil on three of the four red arms of St George's Cross. All are written by the same hand in the format initials, surname, service number. Some of the white sections of the flag bear signatures of men from 10 Australian General Hospital, 13 Australian General Hospital, 2/9 field Ambulance, 2/26 Battalion, 2/29 Battalion and 2/30 Battalion. There are the remains of a square of woollen stitches at each corner of the hoist where the flag was attached to a blanket so that it could be hidden from the Japanese.

Summary:
This flag is said to have been carried by members of C Company, 2/29 Battalion, while they were working on the Burma-Thailand Railway as prisoners of war. It was concealed by being stitched between two pieces of blanket. The names and signatures on the flag are all those of Australian prisoners of war but it cannot be established when the names were written on the flag, or if they were all written at about the same time. The 'nominal roll' of C Company, in particular, which is written on the Cross of St George, includes the name of a man killed in the fighting in Malaya before the surrender to the Japanese and appears to have been organised so that the names of prisoners who died in captivity are mainly written on one arm of the cross only. The names of those who died are listed below. Unless otherwise stated all were members of 2/29 Battalion: QX21375 - Private (Pte.) J. B. Bigby, 2/26 Bn, NX73975 - Pte. H. R. Everingham, VX35311 - Corporal (Cpl.) W. J. Clarke, VX36027 - Pte. L. G. Barry, NX38428 - Pte. M. G. Boustead, 2/30 Bn, NX44900 - Pte. A. Cameron, VX66112 - Sergeant R. W. Dorrat, VX45114 - Pte. R. G. Forrester, VX65214 - Cpl. G. A. Gardiner, QX18586 - Pte. W. A. Graham, 2/26 Bn, VX41755 - Pte. H. Griffin, TX5745 - Pte. C. W. Gardham, 2/26 Bn, VX34720 - Cpl. J. Haden, QX22382 - Pte. D. P. Harstoff, 2/26 Bn.
Keywords: 100105c

Signed flag carried by C Company 2/29 Battalion, along the Burma-Thailand railway

Australian War Memorial caption reads:
Physical description:
Cotton; Leatherette; Wool flannel; Printed cotton Union Jack with leatherette reinforced corners on the hoist, each with a pair of strings attached to it. In the centre of the flag is a wool flannel colour patch for 2/29 Battalion. Written around the patch, in purple indelible pencil, is 'CAPT. W.B. BOWRING. VX44362 O.C. C COMPANY 2/29 BATT. 8th. DIV.'. The names of 84 men, nearly all from 2/29 Battalion, but with a few from 2/26 Battalion, are written in the same indelible pencil on three of the four red arms of St George's Cross. All are written by the same hand in the format initials, surname, service number. Some of the white sections of the flag bear signatures of men from 10 Australian General Hospital, 13 Australian General Hospital, 2/9 field Ambulance, 2/26 Battalion, 2/29 Battalion and 2/30 Battalion. There are the remains of a square of woollen stitches at each corner of the hoist where the flag was attached to a blanket so that it could be hidden from the Japanese.

Summary:
This flag is said to have been carried by members of C Company, 2/29 Battalion, while they were working on the Burma-Thailand Railway as prisoners of war. It was concealed by being stitched between two pieces of blanket. The names and signatures on the flag are all those of Australian prisoners of war but it cannot be established when the names were written on the flag, or if they were all written at about the same time. The 'nominal roll' of C Company, in particular, which is written on the Cross of St George, includes the name of a man killed in the fighting in Malaya before the surrender to the Japanese and appears to have been organised so that the names of prisoners who died in captivity are mainly written on one arm of the cross only. The names of those who died are listed below. Unless otherwise stated all were members of 2/29 Battalion: QX21375 - Private (Pte.) J. B. Bigby, 2/26 Bn, NX73975 - Pte. H. R. Everingham, VX35311 - Corporal (Cpl.) W. J. Clarke, VX36027 - Pte. L. G. Barry, NX38428 - Pte. M. G. Boustead, 2/30 Bn, NX44900 - Pte. A. Cameron, VX66112 - Sergeant R. W. Dorrat, VX45114 - Pte. R. G. Forrester, VX65214 - Cpl. G. A. Gardiner, QX18586 - Pte. W. A. Graham, 2/26 Bn, VX41755 - Pte. H. Griffin, TX5745 - Pte. C. W. Gardham, 2/26 Bn, VX34720 - Cpl. J. Haden, QX22382 - Pte. D. P. Harstoff, 2/26 Bn.

061002020.jpg 20100214018.jpg REL29052.jpg REL29986.jpg 06062738.jpg
File information
Filename:REL29052.jpg
Album name:makan / Pennants and Flags
Keywords:100105c
Source:From the collection of the Australian War Memorial. Reproduced with permission. ID Number: REL29052
Date:1941-1945
Filesize:48 KiB
Date added:Jan 07, 2006
Dimensions:450 x 311 pixels
Displayed:99 times
URL:http://www.230battalion.org.au/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=590
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