| Place | Asia: China, Hainan Island, Sama Bay |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | 030372/03 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Negative |
| Maker |
Woods, Leonard Thomas |
| Place made | China: Hainan Island, Bakli Bay |
| Date made | c 28 August 1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
After the surrender of Japan, Allied prisoners of war (POWs) including the remnants of the 1/21st ...
Description
After the surrender of Japan, Allied prisoners of war (POWs) including the remnants of the 1/21st Australian Infantry Battalion Group under the command of Lieutenant Colonel W. J. R. Scott DSO, were liberated by members of the US Office of Strategic Services. Here the Australians are being evacuated by train to the Japanese Naval Hospital at Sama Bay on the south coast of the Island. However, the train in charge of Captain J. M. Turner, 2/21st Australian Infantry Battalion, met with disaster when the engine was blown off the line by a bomb placed there by Chinese Communists. Captain Turner walked eight miles back to a telephone and arranged for another engine to return the train and its complement to Bakli Bay.