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Papers of Gordon Thomas
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Papers of Gordon Thomas

  • AU ANUA 584
  • Series
  • 1900 - 2004

This collection of documents and images relating to Gordon Thomas's time in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea includes correspondence with the Department of External Territories regarding persons lost on the Montevideo Maru and proclamations from the Chief of the Japanese Army during the Japanese occuptaion of Rabaul. Photographs from the 1910s and 1930s are of people and places in German New Guinea.

Thomas, Edward Llewellyn Gordon

Photograph of remains of Ralum wharf

Handwritten on verso: instructions for the reproduction of the photograph for publication, and a note: used Dec 1962.
Also written, but crossed out: Queen Emma [Illegible] All that remains of the Ralum wharf June 1962. Appended to verso is a clipping: This is all that remains of the once flourishing establishment called Ralum, on the shores of Simpsonhaven, New Britain.

Photograph of native police or army, German New Guinea

Photograph taken by E. S. Merriett, an American tourist, in 1901. The photograph was sent to Sub-Inspector Max R. Haynes of the Rabaul Police Station after an appeal for material relating to the early Police Forces of Papua and New Guinea in Pacific Islands Monthly.

Album of photographs of Rabaul, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea in 1935

Album of photographs of Rabaul, East New Britain, New Guinea taken in1935. The album has the inscription - “To Peggy Nickle’ with love & best wishes for August 17 & may it return often, Gordon”.

  1. Rabaul Harbour, showing W.R.C. [W.R. Carpenter & Co]
  2. Mount Mother [Kombiu, large volcano]
  3. South Daughter [Turanguna, small volcano]
  4. Fish traps Blanche Bay
  5. Government House Rabaul
  6. Sir George Pearce and General McNicoll inspecting Native Constabulary, Rabaul, August 1935
  7. Fish trap Blanche Bay
  8. Members of the Duk Duk Secret Society, Blanche Bay
  9. An old native (“Lapoon”), Blanche Bay, New Britain
  10. Women arriving at Rabaul with produce for the "Bung”
  11. Children from villages near Rabaul
  12. Natives with canoes
  13. Rabaul natives
  14. Ready for the market [women with food in canoes]
  15. Natives with canoes – Rabaul any morning
  16. W.R.C. wharf Rabaul
  17. Offices for the Public Works Department, Rabaul
  18. Women from Gasmata, South New Britain
  19. Blanche Bay dancers in a “malagine”
  20. Native canoes – Manus Admiralty Islands
  21. A corner of Blanche Bay, Rabaul, showing W.R.C. store
  22. Trading station – Kokopo
  23. Coconuts – “consoles of the East” – in the husk
  24. Davies Drug store where the ice creams are
  25. The Rabaul Club
  26. The Cosmopolitan Hotel once the famous “Ah Chee’s Pub”
  27. District Office Rabaul
  28. The old New Guinea Club now demolished and the new one in course of construction
  29. Pacific Hotel – one time known as “Ching Hing’s Pub”
  30. The Lands Office, Rabaul
  31. The Customs House
  32. Bright young things from the Western Islands – Aua women
  33. Dr Brennan and Mrs McNieve at the commemoration ceremony, Betapaka Memorial, 1935
  34. New Guinea youths dolled up for the photographer
  35. Native women from the Ninigo Islands
  36. Bulolo – Morobe goldfields
  37. The Toboi Copra Wharf
  38. SS Montoro on the reef bear Finschafen, New Guinea
  39. Blanche Bay natives
  40. New Guinea mainland native with boar’s tusks
  41. Having a shave
  42. Mainland New Guinea – native with pipe
  43. Road on North Coast through a coconut plantation
  44. Salomana Port for the Morobe Goldfields
  45. A New Ireland belle
  46. Unveiling the Bitapaka [Bita paka] Memorial to the First Australians who fell in the Great War
  47. Another view of Rabaul Harbour
  48. Where the administrator lives - Namanula
  49. A New Guinea gentleman togged up to work …..? and impress the tourists

Legal and government reports relating to land ownership and governance in Papua New Guinea

Notes of decision on legal questions read by Phillips, J. on 29th April, 1930 (Mortlock Islands); Commission of inquiry under the National Security (Inquiries) Regulations and National Security (General) Regulations into the circumstances relating to the suspension of the Civil Administration of the Territory of Papua in February, 1942 - Report by J. V. Barry, K. C. (Commissioner); Senate transcript 26 July, 1945 relating to Papua-New Guinea Provisional Administration Bill 1945; Senate transcript 27 July, 1945 relating to Papua-New Guinea Provisional Administration Bill 1945

Correspondence and notes written by Gordon Thomas

Letters addressed to Mrs Gordon Thomas are dated:
4 March 1942 (1p, Ms)
8 March 1942 (1p, Ms)
?9 May 1942 (1p, Ms)
28 July 1942 (10pp, Ms)

Printed page numbers 42 - 47 (14 pages) are believed to be written by Gordon Thomas for the Japanese newspaper, Morning Sun Tokyo

Documents and correspondence regarding research of Mr Thomas's papers

List of Rabaul Times issues written by Albert Speer, see ANUA 584-6; list of research materials sought by Albert Speer; list of images, see ANUA 584-15; list of documents relating to Gordon Thomas, including some but not all of the documents in this collection; correspondence between Albert Speer and the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society Inc. regarding Mr Thomas's serving as Secretary of that organisation; letter and research documents mentioned within from Albert Speer to Ian Fraser, to assist the latter in a writing project about Gordon Thomas; notes regarding Ian Fraser's research into Gordon Thomas's papers; copies of Christmas card and drawing, see ANUA 584-4, faxed by Albert Speer to James Oglethorpe; copy of an article in the Saturday Post written by Ian Fraser about Allan Pratt

Government documents of Kate and Gordon Thomas

Permit to leave the Territory of New Guinea for Kate Thomas; Document issued in lieu of lost discharge certificate for Gordon Thomas; Pass issued by the Australian Military Forces allowing Gordon Thomas entry to Rabaul camp to distribute the newspaper the Rabaul Times