b'27193Melbourne Cricket Club, Annual Report, For the Season 1942-43. [Melbourne; Mason, Firth & MCutcheon, 1943] 28pp, with original blue covers. A very slender war-time edition in which several mentions are made of the fact that activities and income have been severely curtailed because of the occupation of the Ground by the Crown.CLUB AND THE WAR.- The Club is proud of the fact that 2,146 of its Members are in the Fighting Forces. In addition many others are engaged in full time war duties. (p.6)After the outbreak of war in the Pacific, the Commonwealth Government requisitioned the MCG for military purposes. From 1942 until 1945 it was progressively occupied by the US Army Air Forces, the Royal Australian Air Force, the US Marine Corps and again the RAAF. More than 200,000 personnel regarded the ground as their home away from home during that period.Most famously in 1943 the MCG was home to the legendary First Regiment of the First Division of the United States Marine Corp. The First Marine Corp were the heroes of the battle of Guadalcanal (later Okinawa) and used the cricket grounds, as the marines referred to it, to rest and recuperate. In 1942 and 1943, Melburnians en masse proved wonderful hosts to the soldiers and marines. Melbourne was described as the best liberty port in the world. Hundreds of servicemen were taken into Melburnians homes and softball and gridiron matches were played on the MCG. $1401801941942 edition of Wisden Cricketers Almanack, rebound into brown cloth boards preserving the original buff linen covers, gilt inscriptions on spine; Good condition. Elusive wartime issue.$400500195 198195MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB, 1943-44 Ladys Season Ticket, No.3239; superb condition.An extremely scarce WW2-era piece. $400500196MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB: 1943-44 Honorary Membership Ticket for Mr B.L. Grant,numbered H64 on thick green card, dated 1SEP1943. .$2002501971943 edition of Wisden Cricketers Almanack, rebound into brown cloth boards preserving the original buff linen covers, gilt inscriptions on spine; Good condition. Scarce wartime issue.$200250198MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB, 1944-45 Ladys Season Ticket, No.338; superb condition.An extremely scarce WW2-era piece. $400500199A collection of cricket club annual reports comprising of CARLTON C.C. (4, between 1951 - 55), FITZROY C.C.(9, between 1955 - 1967), MELBOURNE C.C. (4, between 1944 - 67) & ST.KILDA C.C. (3, between 1954 - 62).(Total: 20 items). $1201502001944 edition of Wisden Cricketers Almanack, rebound into brown cloth boards preserving the original buff linen covers, gilt inscriptions on spine; Fair/Good condition. Scarce wartime issue.$180220201MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB: 1944-45 Honorary Membership Ticket for Mr B.L. Grant,numbered H53 on thick blue card, dated 1SEP1944. Elusive WWII era ticket. .$2002502021945 edition of Wisden Cricketers Almanack, rebound into brown cloth boards preserving the original buff linen covers, gilt inscriptions on spine; Fair/Good condition. Scarce wartime issue.$180220203AUSTRALIAN TEST CRICKETER AUTOGRAPHS: A lovely collection of autographed displays in an album;one autograph per page and including George Tribe (1 Test), Gil Langley (26 Tests), Ken Archer (5 Tests), Ron Gaunt(3 Tests), Bob Cowper (27 Tests), Ian Davis (15 Tests), David Hookes (23 Tests), Mick Malone (1 Test), Peter Sleep(14 Tests), Shaun Young (1 Test), Lindsay Kline (13 Tests) and plenty more. [Total: 52]. $200300204CARLTON CRICKET CLUB membership fobs, 1946-47 plus others to 1971-72 and including two with LIFE MEMBER bars. (10 items). .$200300205The Argus Weekend Magazine (28 Sept. 1946) with a full page photograph titled Don Bradman, Test Captain 1946-7? on the front cover; the 1946-47 Sporting Globe Cricket Book and the Souvenir Football Record for the 1968 2nd Semi-Final between Essendon and Carlton. (3 items). .$80100206ABC CRICKET BOOK: 18 editions between 1946-47 and 1974-75 plus duplicates (8); generally good condition. (26)$120160.2071946-1950 editions of Wisden Cricketers Almanack rebound into brown cloth boards preserving the original limp buff (1946) or yellow (1947-50) covers, gilt inscriptions on spines, condition overall is Good. (5) $280320'