| Accession Number | 019418 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white, Portrait |
| Physical description | Black & white, Portrait |
| Date made | September 1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Probably Darwin. September 1945. Informal portrait of Private (Pte) Colin Brien, 2/19 Battalion. ...
Description
Probably Darwin. September 1945. Informal portrait of Private (Pte) Colin Brien, 2/19 Battalion. He was left for dead by a Japanese headsman, whose sword had penetrated his vertebral column, without touching the spinal cord. Then 19 years old, he clawed his way out of a loosely filled grave but was forced by hunger to surrender several days later to the Japanese who interned him in Changi prison camp at Singapore. With 700 other Australian ex-prisoners of war (POWs), Pte Brien was released and later returned to Australia. Brien returned to Australia aboard the Duntroon, arriving in Sydney on 7 October 1945.