| Accession Number | P02468.249 |
|---|---|
| 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 SX11576 Private Charles Russell Speake, 4th ...
Description
SA. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of SX11576 Private Charles Russell Speake, 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 Speake, aged 41, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 25 May 1945. He was the son of John Humphrey and Mabel Speake, and the husband of Agnes Annie May Speake, of Queenstown, SA. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 24. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)