| Accession Number | P02468.781 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
NSW. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of NX45443 Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) William ...
Description
NSW. Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of NX45443 Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) William John Steinbeck, 2/20th 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. WO2 Steinbeck, aged 39, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 15 July 1945. He is the son of William Martin and Lily Clarissa Steinbeck and the husband of Ida Mary Hammond Steinbeck of Ocean Beach, NSW. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 13. (Photograph copied from AWM232, items 4 and 5. Personal information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database.)