The discovery of century-old postcards at a secondhand market stall has reignited interest in the heroic story of an Indigenous soldier’s World War I service.Private Raymond Charles Runga, known as Charlie, spent two years on the Western Front in France and was awarded the prestigious Military Medal for gallantry for two heroic actions in one day.
The cards were embroidered in silk and mounted on cardboard by French women who sold them to Allied soldiers. “This latter feat was a heroic example of utter disregard for personal safety and the desire, at all costs, to worst the enemy, any of whom, with one shot calmly aimed, could have killed him,”After Runga received his medal in January 1920 at Melbourne’s Government House, it was stolen as he passed it around the crowd.
Australian War Memorial curator and custodian of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects Garth O’Connell said he was excited to receive the “beautifully ornate” cards.