This shaving set consisting of three blades with pouches were kept by Sergeant John Ritchie Johnston while he was held captive as a Prisoner-of-War (POW) during the Japanese Occupation. Johnston had enlisted in the 2/9th Field Ambulance as part of the Australian Army's 8th Division that participated in the defence of Malaya and Singapore from 1941-1942. The 2/9th Field Ambulance was part of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC), which was responsible for providing medical attention and care to Australian army personnel. With the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, Johnston was captured by the Japanese and spent the rest of the Occupation in Changi as a POW until the end of war.
