Object numberM2015/009:023
Creator Alfred Landauer
DescriptionA black ink, wash, sketch on paper of a service or sermon held in a hut by Rev Alcorn in uniform in May 1941. We see men from the back, sitting on benches listening to the Rev in front of them. A strong ray of sunshine coming through the window from the left, enveloping the Rev as a symbol of hope and faith. The drawing is signed by Alfred Landauer, dated May 1941.
This sketch is part of the Rev. Alcorn's collection which represents a record of those Jewish and non-Jewish internees who were on board the ship H. M. T. Dunera.
When war broke out, England responded to public panic over the so-called 'enemy within' by interning thousands of foreign nationals. Australia agreed to assist the 'mother country' in this process and in July 1940, the HMT Dunera set sail from Liverpool to Sydney, carrying 2,542 male 'enemy aliens'. Arriving in Sydney on 6 September 1940, the 'Dunera Boys' (as they came to be known) were first interned in Hay and Orange in NSW. Eventually they were brought to Tatura, Victoria. Although behind barbed wire, these camps operated as communities and incorporated canteens, hospitals, dental and recreational facilities, schools, music, theatre and other artistic activities.
The Rev. Alcorn ministered to those internees who declared that they were Protestants of a non Anglican denomination. These 151 internees (according to the lists) formed some 15% of the camp inmates.
This sketch is part of the Rev. Alcorn's collection which represents a record of those Jewish and non-Jewish internees who were on board the ship H. M. T. Dunera.
When war broke out, England responded to public panic over the so-called 'enemy within' by interning thousands of foreign nationals. Australia agreed to assist the 'mother country' in this process and in July 1940, the HMT Dunera set sail from Liverpool to Sydney, carrying 2,542 male 'enemy aliens'. Arriving in Sydney on 6 September 1940, the 'Dunera Boys' (as they came to be known) were first interned in Hay and Orange in NSW. Eventually they were brought to Tatura, Victoria. Although behind barbed wire, these camps operated as communities and incorporated canteens, hospitals, dental and recreational facilities, schools, music, theatre and other artistic activities.
The Rev. Alcorn ministered to those internees who declared that they were Protestants of a non Anglican denomination. These 151 internees (according to the lists) formed some 15% of the camp inmates.
Production date 1941 - 1941
SubjectDunera, internment camps
Object namedrawings
Materialpaper
Dimensions
- width: 205.00 mm
height: 254.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Garry Hogden
DocumentationDunera lives. Volume 1 : a visual history300007330