| Accession Number | P02467.768 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
NSW. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of NX59898 Staff Sergeant James Marsden Betts, ...
Description
NSW. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of NX59898 Staff Sergeant James Marsden Betts, 2/19th Battalion, Australian Infantry. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of B Force. The 1494 POW's that made up B Force, were transported from Changi on 7 July 1942 on board the tramp ship Ubi Maru, arriving in Sandakan Harbour on 18 July 1942. Staff Sergeant Betts, aged 30, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 12 April 1945. He was the son of William Marsden Betts and Leila Margaret Betts, of Orange, NSW. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 11. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)