| Accession Number | P09026.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Digital print |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c 1938 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal portrait of 21820 Ordinary Seaman William Ross (Ross) Cowdroy, HMAS Cerberus, of ...
Description
Informal portrait of 21820 Ordinary Seaman William Ross (Ross) Cowdroy, HMAS Cerberus, of Toowoomba, Qld. Ross Cowdroy enlisted in January 1938 at the age of 17. He served on HMAS Canberra from September 1938 and advanced to the rank of Leading Seaman (Smn) on 1 January 1941. On 19 January 1942 he joined the crew of HMAS Perth. Smn Cowdroy became a prisoner of war following the sinking of HMAS Perth by Japanese destroyers in the Sunda Strait, Java, on 1 March 1942. He died of illness in Thailand on 1 February 1944. SMN Cowdroy was 23 years of age. On the back of the portrait Cowdroy wrote: "Anything like the Ross you used to know. Just slightly changed. Ross" .