Sketchbook containing artwork by Robert Boland of the Royal Australian Navy
Artist
Robert Thomas Boland
(Australian, 1922 - 1985)
Date1944 - 1950
Object number00000684
NameSketchbook
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 188 mm, 0.3 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA sketchbook filled with artwork by Royal Australian Navy stoker Robert Thomas Boland who served aboard HMAS QUICKMATCH in World War II. The book contains various coloured drawings and designs relating to the Royal Australian Navy, HMAS QUICKMATCH and the Pacific Islands.HistoryRobert Boland joined the Royal Australian Navy in November 1942 and served aboard HMAS QUICKMATCH, a Q Class destroyer, as a stoker.
HMAS QUICKMATCH commenced escort duty as part of the Royal Australian Navy in November 1942 on the South Atlantic Station. In 1944 QUICKMATCH or 'THE MATCH' was part of the main force of the British Eastern Fleet based at Ceylon and in July was part of the Destroyer Flotilla which carried out close range bombardment of Japanese installations at Sabang Harbour, Sumatra.
Towards the end of 1944 HMAS QUICKMATCH underwent a refit in Sydney and remained in Australian waters until March 1945 when, as part of the British Pacific Fleet, she took part in operations to support the American seizure of Okinawa and attacks on the Japanese home islands.
In August 1945, the end of the war, HMAS QUICKMATCH had travelled over 360, 000 kilometers.SignificanceStoker Bolands skills as a cartoonist and artist offer a unique and personal perspective of life aboard a RAN vessel during World War II.