Captain Michelson and “Tim” the turtle
ID Number: 001117
Maker: Damien Peter Parer
Place made: Palestine, Julis
Captain D Michelson with a turtle named “Tim”, the mascot of the 2/2nd Battalion.
Rights Info: No known copyright restrictions.
This photograph is from the Australian War Memorial's collection www.awm.gov.au
Persistent URL:http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/001117
From WIki: The 2/2nd Battalion was raised at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, on 24 October 1939 as part of the 16th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division. It relocated to the newly-opened Ingleburn Camp on 2 November and, after conducting basic training there, sailed for overseas service on 10 January 1940. After disembarking in Egypt on 13 February 1940, the 2/2nd trained with the rest of the 16th Brigade in Palestine until the end of August. It then moved to Egypt to carry out its final preparations for operations with the 6th Division.
For More, follow this link.
Well, I have lots of old photographs about the Second World War but I don't think I have anything that I KNOW is Australian. But, come to think of it, I do have five mysterious photographs that were obviously taken in the Eastern Theater, somewhere in the South Seas. Let's look at those.
Here are five photographs that were glued to the inside back cover of a family photo album. They don't seem related to the rest of the album... or are they?
They are obviously taken during the World War 2, in the South Seas somewhere.
Here is a healthy crew of men, soldiers, friends.
Where were they?
Where are they now?
Who are they?
A row of Tank Landing Ships on the beach.
A closer view shows a little more detail.
LST 658 sits with others on the beach.
Perhaps the appearance of the LST-658 will help identify the time, the place and maybe the who.
Update: From comments on this photograph comes this additional information:
Wallace Beasley, was chief petty officer on LST-658
Paul Prinzivalli, served on LST-658
Bob Murnahan might be associated with LST-658
LST 658 was laid down on 28 December 1943 at Ambridge, Pa., by the American Bridge Co.; launched on 13 March 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Joseph R. McDonald; and commissioned on 17 April 1944.
During World War II, LST-658 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the following operations:
Capture and occupation of southern Palau Islands—September and October 1944 Leyte landings—October and November 1944
Lingayen Gulf landing—January 1945
Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto—April 1945
Following the war, LST-658 performed occupation duty in the Far East and saw service in China until late May 1946. She was decommissioned on 1 June 1946. The ship was transferred to the State Department for disposition and struck from the Navy list on 3 July 1946.
LST 658 earned four battle stars for World War II service.
This picture of LST 658 was found on the net and is no longer posted there, so I can no longer link back to the origin. It is not my photograph and I have been unable so far to locate the owner.
The shape of the numbers differs slightly but the mottling on the hull matches pretty well.
The above three photographs are stamped with the same photo studio imprint. The next two, although the same size, are not stamped. They are apparently from other sets.
Unidentified aircraft. Are those tracer bullet streaks?
Two guys play basketball during a slow period in a tropical paradise.
And that's all there is. From the back cover of a family album full of pictures of picnics and children and dogs, there are five memories of war. There are many questions.
C'est la guerre 
Other war related
photographs
are here.
Or maybe you'd prefer just a list of all (well, most) of the categories and subjects and album pages in LOST GALLERY! Well, here it is!
Advance to the Rear The Rear View
Aircraft
Aircraft – Biplanes
Aircraft – Connie, the Lockheed Constellation
Aliens and Mystery – Area Fifty-One and a Half
Animals – Gone to the Chickens
Animals – The Pets by themselves
Animals – Posing on a Pony
Area Fifty-One and a Half – Don’t Look Now
Automobiles – Car Bumpers
Automobiles – Car Running Boards
Baby Buggy
Beach – Itinerant Beach Photographer (page 01)
Beach – Itinerant Beach Photographer (page 02)
Beach – The Old Days
Beach – The Slide Show
Beach – The Girlfriend
Biplane
Bows
Boys in Dresses
Bridges
Bumpers – Car Bumpers
Cabinet Cards
Camera – Photographs containing a camera
Carte-de-Viste
C'est la Guerre – Photographs about the wars
Chain Chain Chain – People doing the same things
Chair, Fringed
Chair, One Armed
Cheesecake
Chickens - Gone to the Chickens
Children – Boys in Dresses
Children – A Child on the Front Steps
Children - Girls and their Dolls
Children – Kid in a Tub
Children – Mobile Toys
Children - On Running Boards
Children – Slide Show
Children – Trios - In groups of Three
Christmas – in found photographs
Cities – Unknown Street Scenes
Class Pictures – School Days!
Clothing – Bows
Clothing – Costumes
Clothing – Cowboy Outfits
Clothing – Boys in Dresses
Clothing – Furs – The Dead Animal Society
Clothing – Grass Skirts
Clothing – Hats
Clothing – Jodhpurs
Clothing – Saddle Shoes
Clothing – Sailor Tailored Fashion
Clothing – Swimwear – At the Beach
Clothing – Uniforms – Girl & her Guy in Uniform
Clothing – Uniforms - Our Man at the Front
Connie, the Lockheed Constellation
Costumes
Couples – A Girl and her Guy in Uniform
Fake Fight
Fringed Chair
Furniture and Props – One Armed Chair
Furniture and Props – Props and Backdrops
Furniture and Props – The Fringed Chair
Furniture and Props – Wicker
Girl in a Boat
Girlfriend and the Car
Girlfriend at the beach
Goat Cart
Gone to the Chickens – Snaps including a chicken
Grass Skirt Gallery
Groups – Chain Chain Chain – People lined up
Groups – Class Pictures
Hats – Where everyone is wearing a hat
Hats – Really Big hats
Homes – We Call it Home
House – Our House
Itinerant Street Photographer
Itinerant Photographer With PONY!
Jodhpurs
Laundry – People and Clothes Lines
Lurker
Music – Trombones
Music Makers
Novelty Photo Booth – Collection
Novelty Photo Booth – Examination
The Office Typewriters and business
On a Bumper
On a Car
On a Rock
On a Running Board
One-Armed Chair
Parade – Parties, Parades and Picnics
Parties – Parties, Parades and Picnics
People Stacks
Personal Pinups – the best girl. (Page One)
Personal Pinups – the best girl. (Page Two)
Personal Pinups – Girlfriend at the beach
Pets – The animals by themselves
Photo Mask
PhotoBombing – Pranks to ruin a photo
Photography – Photographs containing a camera
Photography – The Photo Mask
Photography – Tinted Photograph
Photography – Polaroids
Photography Errors – Lurker
Photography Errors – photographer's Shadow
Photography Errors – The Double Exposure
Photography Errors – Unauthorized Photographs
Picnics – Parties, Parades and Picnics
Places to Go - More about where than who.
Places – Our House - With people in front
Places – We Call it Home - More houses
Pony – Posing on a Pony
Poses – Advance to the Rear!
Poses - Belly Down, Heads Up! (A really odd pose.)
Poses – Cheesecake
Poses – Fake Fight
Poses – Girl in a Boat
Poses – In a Tree
Poses – Kid in a Tub
Poses – On a Bumper
Poses – On a Car
Poses – On a Pony
Poses – On a Running Board
Poses – Out Sitting on a Rock
Poses – People with Signs.
Poses – Personal Pinup
Poses – The Rear View
Poses – Sleeping people
Poses – Stacks of People People on People
Props and Backdrops
Rock – People out sitting on a rock
Running Boards - Automobiles
Running Boards with Children
Saddle Shoes
Sailor Tailored Clothing
Signs – People posing with signs.
Sleeping People
Sneaky Snaps–People not posing at all
Telephone - About telephones and operators
Things – Typewriter – A Modern Antique
Things – Telephones
Things – Watermelon in the picture
Tinted Photograph
Tintypes
Toys – Children and their Mobile Toys
Toys - Girls and their Dolls
Transportation – Aircraft
Transportation – Automobile Bumpers
Transportation – Automobile Running Boards
Transportation – Baby Buggy
Transportation – Biplanes
Transportation – Lockheed Constellation
Transportation – Wheelbarrow
Tree Thing
Trombones!
Types of Photographs – Cabinet Cards
Types of Photographs – CDV (Carte-de Viste)
Types of Photographs – Photobooth
Types of Photographs – Polaroids
Types of Photographs – Tintypes
Typewriter – A Modern Antique
Unauthorized Photographs – Sneaky snaps
Uniformed Man – Our Man at the Front
Vehicles – Biplane
Vehicles – Lockheed Constellation
Vehicles – Wheelbarrow
Washday Blues – Of Love and Laundry
Watermelon
Wheelbarrow
Wicker Chairs
Wicker Furniture
World War One
That Gallery of your's does a splendid Job,as we have seen over the past few weeks. Are you collecting all "lost" images? I, like many others, have picked up numerous CdVs and other images of people and places unrelated to us and lost to their own. Sometimes they're used to make a specific point or just to look at and wonder for the most part they simply rest in boxes, hidden from sight.
ReplyDeleteI think they must be aircraft exhaust trails, rather than from tracer bullets. they seem to be in pairs = twin engines.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike Burnett. Yes, these are all rescued (found) photographs. They are still lost in the sense that they are not where they belong, in the hands of a family historian who will care for them for future generations of their family. Sometimes I can locate a descendant, most of the time not. If an old snapshot suggests a story to me, I tell it. I just put them together in collections of one category or another and enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brett Payne. Yes, you are probably right: vapor trails. Some of them are not all that straight.
It's great that the photos are still together, kept in context with each other. Someone will recognise the location one day :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in school, I did not like to study wars, but I find myself increasingly interested in photos from the wars.
ReplyDeleteThanks Boobook. Yes, I hope so. It has happened before. There is quite a tight circle of friends that served on the LST and in the South Seas. Maybe something will turn up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy. You made me think. Unfortunately, we only learn from our mistakes; It seems we don't always try to improve. I suppose we should also study our shortcomings to understand why we are what we are. “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” Dr. Seuss.