| Accession Number | P02466.072 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white |
| Physical description | Black & white |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
NSW. Paybook photograph of NX14167 Private (Pte) William Charles Ralph Devlin, 2/1st Battalion, ...
Description
NSW. Paybook photograph of NX14167 Private (Pte) William Charles Ralph Devlin, 2/1st Battalion, Australian Infantry. Private Devlin, aged 22, died on 21 March 1945, as a Prisoner of War (POW). Pte Devlin, a fluent German speaker, was on a working party when he remonstrated with a civilian's mistreatment of a fellow POW. The man took issue and drew out a pistol, shooting him in the chest. He lay on the ground for some time before any assistance was allowed to be given and he died whilst being carried by stretcher to a village doctor. Pte Devlin had been captured defending the island of Crete against the German land and airborne invasion. He was the son of William and Ellen Devlin, of Kingsford, NSW. He is buried in the Berlin 1942 - 45 War Cemetery Section 6, Row K, Plot 14. (Photograph supplied by the Army's Soldier Career Management Agency. Information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)