Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX39890 Private Richard Mclellan Skews, 4th ...

Accession Number P02468.436
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white - Film copy negative
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX39890 Private Richard Mclellan Skews, 4th Reserve Motor Transport 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 Skews, aged 42, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 7 June 1945. He was the son of Richard and Elsie E. Skews, of West Brunswick, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 24. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)