| Accession Number | P02468.208 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
SA. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of SX9269 Private Gordon John Barker, 8th Division ...
Description
SA. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of SX9269 Private Gordon John Barker, 8th Division Ammunition Sub Park, Australian Army Service 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 Barker, aged 29, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 3 March 1945. He was the son of Gordon and Edith Isobel Barker, and the husband of June Pilben Barker, of Tea Tree Gully, SA. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 22. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)