| Accession Number | P02468.362 |
|---|---|
| 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 VX32910 Gunner Norman Laurence Hewitt, 4th Anti ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX32910 Gunner Norman Laurence Hewitt, 4th Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. 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. Gunner Hewitt, aged 26, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 5 March 1945. He was the son of Frederick Laurence and Elsie Victoria Hewitt, of East Brunswick, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 1. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)