AN Australian flag tied to the 2/23rd Battalion, known as Albury's Own, has been unearthed in Queensland.
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The flag was mailed to the Ipswich-based national convenor of the Australian Flag Society Nigel Morris and he is now canvassing interest in it being housed on the Border.
"I think it would be fitting if we could find a home for it in Albury because they were called Albury's Own," Mr Morris said.
"I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who had an offer to put it on display."
The flag has "2nd/23rd" written on its hoist in faded form.
"Tarakan", "oboe" and "Lingkas Beach" are penned on parts of the Union Jack, while "26th Brig" and "May 1945" are also written on it.
Oboe was the name given to the World War II operation which saw Australians land on the island of Tarakan in 1945.
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Mr Morris suggested the flag could be the same one that appears in a photograph from the Australian War Memorial collection showing soldiers at Lingkas Beach.
It is captioned: "Happy soldiers of the 9th Australian Division raise the Australian flag on a bamboo pole on the first day of Operation Oboe One, the Division's successful attack and landing on Tarakan Island then occupied by Japanese forces."
Albury RSL sub-branch president Graham Docksey, who is also a member of the 2/23rd association, responded to Mr Morris.
"I'd be happy to have a look at it if he can bring it down," Mr Docksey said.
He added he would also like the manager of the army museum at Bandiana to inspect it.
The museum houses 2/23rd artefacts as does The Scots School Albury.
The background of the flag is unclear with Mr Morris saying it was sent to him by a man who said he had inherited from his uncle who had been a commando.
The soldier may have won the flag through a card game.
"I thought it was a hoax at first but he said he would post it," Mr Morris said.
"It literally fell in my lap, a few days later my girlfriend said there was a package for me and I opened it and out it came with 2/23rd written on it."
Mr Docksey said there were questions that had to be answered about the flag.
"Flags aren't very easy to display, you've got to treat them and look after them very well," he said.
Mr Docksey could not say if there was another Australian flag in the 2/23rd collection.
