| Accession Number | P02468.505 |
|---|---|
| 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 VX50413 Private Roy Leslie Mercer, 2/29th ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX50413 Private Roy Leslie Mercer, 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 Mercer, aged 25, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 4 May 1945. He was the son of William Cecil and Myrtle Ivy Mercer, of West Merbein, 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.)