| Accession Number | P02468.338 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX30130 Sergeant Leonard Edwin Searle, 2nd ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX30130 Sergeant Leonard Edwin Searle, 2nd Echelon Headquarters, 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. Sergeant Searle, aged 49, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 7 June 1945. He was the son of George James and Elizabeth Ann Searle, and the husband of Mildred Searle, of South Yarra, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 8. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)