| Accession Number | P02468.247 |
|---|---|
| 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 SX11545 Private Reginald James Coombe, 4th ...
Description
SA. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of SX11545 Private Reginald James Coombe, 4th Reserve Motor Transport Company, 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 Coombe, aged 44, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 16 March 1945. He was the son of Henry James Coombe and Mary Ann Coombe, and the husband of Annie Margaret Coombe, of Croydon, SA. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 23. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)