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Auction: 15016 - David Tett's Collection of Prisoner of War Mail in East Asia and Dutch East Indies
Lot: 2140

Prisoner or War Mail
Hong Kong
The van der Laan Family Correspondence
A fascinating and comprehensive collection of letters and documents relating to two parts of this family under foreign occupation in Holland and in Hong Kong. Jacobus van der Laan was employed as the manager of the Netherlands Trading Society (a bank); he and his wife were held by the Japanese in the Sun Wah Hotel (121 Connaught Road) where he was marched to his bank every morning to liquidate the bank's assets. Later they were relocated to Stanley Camp. The collection includes various Red Cross messages as both sides of the family tried to make contact with each other, a permit for Mrs van der Laan to visit hospital. 1943 Red Cross Message to Holland, " ... Since September 1941 no news telegraphed different times ..." (one telegraph message is included). 1943 (24 July) special Stanley Internment Camp envelope with letter to Holland, bearing Maejima seal and circular German censor handstamp, a note on the letter, "Reçu le 20/4-'44". 1942 (23 July) letter to the daughter and son-in-law from Hotel Polana in Lorenço Marques, with the letter (the adhesives have been removed) with South African censor seal and handstamp. 1943 (4 Sept.) Stanley Prisoner of War mail card to Holland bearing Maejima seal and British censor "P.W.1101" censor handstamp in red. 1943 (1 Oct.) Stanley Prisoner of War mail card to Holland (redirected on arrival) with Maejima seal and German censor handstamp. The collection also includes the letters from the Dutch Red Cross to the family in Holland along with a number of the registration receipts and donations to the Dutch Red Cross. The final envelope is stampless and dated November 1945 sent from the bank in Singapore to the branch in Calcutta and is marked "ex pow" in pencil, the boxed Postage Due handstamp has been crossed through in red ink and "free" added. There is also a number of other, associated items. This important series is illustrated and explained by David Tett in Chapter 10 of vol. four of his books. Photo

Sold for
HK$30,000