The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Aluminium key and tag manufactured from a piece of aircraft metal. Hand engraved on one side of the tag is 'QX12327 2/26TH BN / N T DERRINGTON'. On the other side is 'from Wally / CHANGI / 9-3-44'. Engraved on the key itself is '9-3-44'.
This key was made and given to QX12327 Private Norman Joseph Derrington on the occasion of his 21st Birthday in Changi, on 9 March 1944, by his friend, QX12281 Lance Corporal Walter Charles Cave. Derrington put his age up by three years and enlisted at the age of 17 on 14 July 1940. Serving with 2/26 Battalion Derrington was the youngest man in his unit and as such pretty well known. Made a prisoner of war after the fall of Singapore he returned to Changi after surviving work on the Burma Thailand Railway. Cave made the key from Japanese Mitsubishi Zero aircraft wreckage and used a nail to engrave the details on it.
Rockhampton, Qld. 1945. Portrait of QX12327 Private (Pte) Norman Joseph (Derry) Derrington, 2/26th Battalion after he had been repatriated to Australia after four years in Japanese prisoner of war cam
Small presentation tobacco box with hinged lid made from aluminium aircraft wreckage. A catch has been hand riveted to the inside of the lid. The lid is hand engraved with rays emanating from an oval
Hand engraved aluminium cribbage board mounted on wood. There is a small aluminium plate screwed to each end of the board that swivels to reveal a storage space for the scoring pegs. The top plate is
Handmade aluminium cigarette box with a curved hinged lid. The lid is engraved with and image of Changi Gaol and a scroll bearing the words 'CHANGI J. McGOWAN GAOL'. The base of the case is engraved '
Hand engraved aluminium cribbage board mounted on wood. There is a small aluminium plate screwed to the end of each board, which swivels to reveal the peg storage. THe top plate is punched with standa
Handmade key made from thin aircraft plywood is painted a pale yellow colour and features the signatures of the members of the Transport Section. The handle section of the key features the number '21'
