| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P11152.010 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
RAAF Photographer |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | c 1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
418197 Pilot Officer (PO) Leslie Stewart, 21 Squadron RAAF. PO Stewart from Brighton, Victoria, ...
Description
418197 Pilot Officer (PO) Leslie Stewart, 21 Squadron RAAF. PO Stewart from Brighton, Victoria, enlisted on 25 April 1942 and was shot down and captured by the Japanese on 5 March 1944 and made a prisoner of war (POW). A post-war investigation determined that he was executed by the Japanese later in the month and for administrative purposes it was determined that his date of death was on or before 31 March 1944. One of a series of images used by Allied prosecutors during the war crimes trials of Japanese charged with the murder of Australian pilots. The prints were produced in some numbers and used by investigative units in in South East Asia trying to locate the graves of missing RAAF pilots and aircrew. Initially showed to local natives and to Japanese prisoners of war, some were later produced in court as evidence during the trials of Japanese POW charged with the men's murder.