Western Morning News (Saturday)
Gain unique insight into period of history
RENDELLS at Stonepark is holding a two-day auction of Antiques and selected items including furniture, china and glassware, clocks, collectables, books, pictures and paintings, postcards, stamps and ephemera on Thursday, Otcober 21 and Friday, October 22, commencing 10am daily.
During the taking-in week a fairly innocuous looking shortbread tin was brought in by a private vendor and contained a unique time capsule of prisoner of war (POW) and other personal RAF wartime ephemera relating to Thomas William Warwick 745325 (138313) Flying Officer RAF (Volunteer Resave).
Including his mobilisation telegram dated 24 November 1939, and a typed letter to his wife confirming that he was shot down over the Bay of Biscay presumed dead. A wartime log with detailed drawings and diary entries from Room 16, Block 4 M-Stammlager (Stalag) Luft III (made famous in the movie The Great Escape) concentration camp POW No. 6967, a further notebook journal, small album with personal collection of photographs, RAF dog tag, POW metal dog tag, cap badge, three wings badges other paper ephemera, his membership card to the Goldfish Club (for surviving ditching in the sea and using his rubber dinghy to escape death).
Also from his posting in Africa a canvas backed Arabic text flyer and propaganda £1
Arab text note, etc. The wartime log has images portraying his ditching of his aircraft, a forced march, detailed plans and layout of the camp, many coloured drawings and other well-drawn pencil images that really capture his experiences as a POW, as do his detailed entries all written in pencil.
The lucky buyer of this lot will have the responsibility to maintain this special archive and the auctioneers hope that it will end up being scanned and made available to others. It really is that special and will be offered with a very conservative estimate of £200-£400.
The furniture section includes antique chests of drawers, desks, dressers and bookcases including two Globe Wernicke modular examples. In the clocks & barometers section is a late 19th century Dent of London mitre shaped table clock, as well as several longcase clocks and barometers.
In Collectables you’ll find a large and varied selection of the weird and wacky with everything from signs to toys, via coins, militaria, lighting and textiles.
There are also many others items including ceramics, paintings, prints, postcards and stamps.
Rendells at Stonepark has a fully-illustrated online catalogue via The-Saleroom. com with a real time live bidding option and webcast. For more details call on 01364 653017 or visit www.rendellsfineart.co.uk.