| Place | Asia: Borneo, North Borneo, Sandakan |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P02813.001 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | 4x5", Polyester, Silver Gelatin |
| Physical description | 4x5", Polyester, Silver Gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Australia: Victoria |
| Date made | 1939-1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Portrait of VX27573 Private (Pte) Thomas John O'Rourke of No. 1 Company, Australian Army Service ...
Description
Portrait of VX27573 Private (Pte) Thomas John O'Rourke of No. 1 Company, Australian Army Service Corps (AASC). Pte O'Rourke was a Japanese prisoner of war in the prison camp at Sandakan in Borneo. In January 1945 the Japanese began to move prisoners from Sandakan to Ranau because they feared a coastal invasion. After the Australian landings at Tarakan in May 1945, the camp commander Captain Susumi Hoshijima ordered that the prisoners be marched inland. Large numbers died during, what has come to be known as, the Sandakan Death March. Pte O'Rourke died on 31 May 1945.