| Accession Number | P02468.127 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Qld. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of QX18815 Private Mervyn Cecil Cowley, 8th ...
Description
Qld. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of QX18815 Private Mervyn Cecil Cowley, 8th Division Postal Unit, Australian Army Postal Corps. 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. Private Cowley, aged 27, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 17 May 1945. He was the son of Arthur Wellesley Cowley and Emily Harriet Grace Cowley, of Mackay, Qld. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 31. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)