| Accession Number | P02468.573 |
|---|---|
| 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 VX61050 Sapper James O'Connell, 2/10th Field ...
Description
Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX61050 Sapper James O'Connell, 2/10th Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers. 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. Sapper O'Connell, aged 37, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 14 January 1945. He was the son of Michael Patrick and Margaret Amelia O'Connell, and the husband of Nellie May O'Connell, of Springvale, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 5. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)