| Accession Number | P02468.383 |
|---|---|
| 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 VX35647 Private Bertie George Sawford, 2/29th ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX35647 Private Bertie George Sawford, 2/29th Battalion, 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. Private Sawford, aged 30, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 11 April 1945. He was the son of George and Cecilia Sawford, and the husband of Clara Louisa Amy Sawford, of Oakleigh, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 16. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)