| Accession Number | P01649.010 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Singapore |
| Date made | 1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal portrait of four members of the 2/20th Battalion, probably taken just after the Fall of ...
Description
Informal portrait of four members of the 2/20th Battalion, probably taken just after the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Identified, left to right: NX31736 Private (Pte) Frederick Beale (an Aboriginal serviceman); NX31623 Pte Michael Joseph (Joe) Lynch; NX31660 Pte George Henry Beale (an Aboriginal serviceman and Frederick Beale's brother); NX31804 Pte Stanley Keith Rudd. Both Pte Beales spent time in Changi POW camp before being sent to Naoetsu Camp in Japan with C Force on board Kamakura Maru, and were forced to work as steel mill labourers. Pte George Beale died on the operating table, from injuries sustained in an accident after working a 24 hour shift, on 28 May 1943. Pte Frederick Beale survived the war and was released in September 1945. Pte Lynch was transported to Thailand with D Force, U Battalion, and worked on the Burma-Thai Railway.