Decorated Christmas envelope sent from HMAS CEREBUS
Artist
Robert Thomas Boland
(Australian, 1922 - 1985)
Date1942
Object number00000670
NameEnvelope
MediumPencil and ink on paper
DimensionsOverall: 100 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionDecorated envelope from Stoker R Boland to his mother, sent from the Flinders Naval Depot. Boland has decorated the envelope with a life buoy resting against an anchor and with the words A MERRY XMAS and H.M.A.S. on the ring. Two flags - White Ensign and Union Jack - also feature, as does a naval ship (probably a destroyer) in the centre. The RAN crown is featured in the bottom left corner of this official RAN piece of stationery.HistoryHMAS CEREBUS is the Royal Australian Naval training facility located in Victoria. The base was officially opened in 1920 and became known as CEREBUS in April 1921.
From 1930 - 1958 it was also the base for the Royal Australian Naval College which is now located in Jervis Bay, New South Wales. At the beginning of World War II, extra buildings were erected to cope with the huge increase of recruits. There were approximately 400 per month (in addition ti the introduction of the WRANS).
This letter by Boland would have been written in the first weeks of his enlistment.SignificanceThis decorated envelope is part of the Boland collection which offers a small glimpse into the life of a sailor during his World War II service.