Skip to main content

"Y.M.C.A. with the A.I.F." "My dearest Freda" "S.S. Ypiranga, 12 June 1919."

In Copyright / All Rights Reserved (Licensed as All Rights Reserved)

Reuse this image

Can I reuse this image without permission? No Cross

In Copyright / All Rights Reserved

Attribute this image

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/376376

Conditions of use

Museums Victoria does not own the copyright in all the material on this website. In some cases copyright belongs to third parties and has been published here under a licence agreement: this does not authorise you to copy that material. You may be required to obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Some unpublished material may require permission for reuse even if it is very old. Orphan works, where the copyright owner is unknown, also require permission for reuse. First Peoples works may have additional legal and cultural issues. You may be required to seek cultural clearances from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, families, individuals or organisations before you reproduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander material.

Single lined page with black handwritten text.

Single lined page with black handwritten text.

Page of a letter handwritten in black ink.

Images (46)

Videos (0)

Audio (0)

Item ST 41187 Letter - Dudley Townley to Freda Gwyn, En Route to Australia, 12 Jun 1919

Summary

Note: This transcription includes derogatory slurs and references to particular cultural groups, and white superiority messaging (occur on pages 6, 11 and 30). Such words and sentiments are not condoned by Museums Victoria which considers them to be racist. Historical distance and context do not excuse or erase this fact.

A diary-type letter written on Y.M.C.A paper to Freda Gwyn, from Dudley Townley on board S.S. Ypiranga at Capetown, 12 June 1919, after World War I. It describes his activities in Capetown.

The letter is 46 pages long. According to Townley's daughter, Mrs Patricia Fowles, Dudley married Freda Gwyn in England after World War I and they raised a family there. Dudley met Freda while on leave in England through mutual friends.

Physical Description

46 page handwritten letter.

More Information

Collection Names

Military Memorabilia Collection, Townley Collection, Returned and Services League (RSL) Collection
Collecting Areas

Public Life & Institutions, Transport
Acquisition Information

Donation from Mrs Patricia Fowles, by 1987
Place & Date Written

SS Ypiranga (Ship), White Star Line, Cape Town, South Africa, 12 Jun 1919
Letter written on board SS Ypiranga.
Sender

Lieutenant Dudley A. Townley - Australian Imperial Force (AIF), 12 Jun 1919
Organisation Named

7th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force (AIF), 12 Jun 1919
Organisation Named

5th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force (AIF), 12 Jun 1919
Organisation Named

2nd Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force (AIF), 12 Jun 1919
Organisation Named

13th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force (AIF), 12 Jun 1919
Organisation Named

YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association), 1919
Language

English
Inscriptions

Y.M.C.A. with the A.I.F. / My dearest Freda / S.S. Ypiranga, 12 June 1919. An excerpt reads "Yesterday a family ship arrived and pulled out the same evening. I understand that several wives missed the boat. Ye Heavens what an awful looking lot. It is the first time I have seen the much discussed Australian Soldiers wives and I am not very impressed."
Classification

Military history, Service, Recreation & tourism
Category

History & Technology
Discipline

Technology
Type of item

Document
Keywords

Australian Army, Australian Military Forces, Diaries, Letters, Military Memorabilia, Ships, Wars & Conflicts, World War I, 1914-1918