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Decorated envelope - To Mother with Love

Artist Robert Thomas Boland (Australian, 1922 - 1985)

Date1942

Object number00000678

DCMITypeStill image

NameEnvelope

MediumPencil and ink on paper

DimensionsOverall: 106 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionDecorated envelope from Stoker Robert Boland to his mother, sent from the Flinders Naval Depot. Boland has decorated the envelope with a symbolic motif with a sign reading DEATH BEFORE DISHONOUR and TO MOTHER WITH LOVE. The RAN crown is featured in the bottom left corner of this official RAN piece of stationery. Robert Boland enlisted into the RAN in November 1942. He served aboard QUICKMATCH during WWII and was discharged in 1950.HistoryIn the war years 1939 to 1945 Sydney's Cockatoo Island Dockyard constructed three Tribal class destroyers, named ARUNTA, WARRAMUNGA and BATAAN. ARUNTA was launched on 30 November 1940, and served in most of the South-West Pacific campaigns earning the following battle honours: Pacific 1942-45, New Guinea 1942-44, Leyte Gulf 1944, Lingayen Gulf 1945, and Borneo 1945. ARUNTA commissioned on 30 April 1942 and soon commenced operational duties as a convoy escort between east coast Australia and New Guinea. In 1943 ARUNTA assisted in the evacuation of guerrilla troops from Timor and later joined the RAN/USN Task Force 74. Other duties included escorts, patrols, troop landings and evacuations, and bombardment tasks during the amphibious campaigns in New Guinea, Bougainville and New Britain. In October 1944 ARUNTA took part in the reconquest of the Philippines, including bombardments at Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Surigao Strait. Further involvement in the Philippines campaign occurred in 1945, including supporting the landings of Australian troops at Wewak, Brunei Bay and Balikpapan. After the war ARUNTA served in Japanese waters as part of the occupation force. SignificanceThis decorated envelope is part of the Robert Boland collection which offers a small glimpse into the life of a sailor during his World War II service.