| Accession Number | P02468.410 |
|---|---|
| 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 VX37884 Corporal Francis Wilson Watson, 2/10th ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX37884 Corporal Francis Wilson Watson, 2/10th Ordnance Field Park, Australian Army Ordnance 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. Corporal Watson, aged 33, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 4 July 1945. He was the son of George Herbert and Esther Watson, and the husband of Edith Garrard Watson, of Yarrawalla, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 27. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)