Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX66445 Private John Raleigh, 2/10th Ordnance ...

Vic. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX66445 Private John Raleigh, 2/10th Ordnance Field Workshop, Australian Corps of Electrical & Mechanical 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 E Force. The 500 Australian and 500 British POW's who made up E Force, left Changi on 28 March 1943, on board the S.S. DeKlerk arriving at Berhala Island (adjacent to Sandakan Harbour) on 15 April 1943. The POW's were held there until 5 June, when they were taken by barge to Sandakan. The next day they were transferred to the 8 Mile Camp, which was about half a mile from the B Force compound. Private Raleigh, aged 24, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 23 July 1945. He was the son of Mr and Mrs W. Raleigh, of East Brunswick, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 29. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)