| Accession Number | P02468.396 |
|---|---|
| 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 VX36935 Private John Kingston Bird, No. 1 ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX36935 Private John Kingston Bird, No. 1 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 Bird, aged 30, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 16 April 1945. He was the son of Richard Kingston and Alice Violet Bird, of Elwood, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 22. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)