| Accession Number | P02468.344 |
|---|---|
| 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 VX31164 Private Ronald Frederick French, 2/9 ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX31164 Private Ronald Frederick French, 2/9 Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical 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 French, aged 28, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 19 July 1945. He was the son of Jack Illingworth French and Emilia French, of Burwood, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 26. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)