| Accession Number | P03251.038 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white |
| Physical description | Black & white |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | c 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of NX72771 Private (Pte) Thomas Westley Tindall Cole, 2/18th Battalion. He ...
Description
Studio portrait of NX72771 Private (Pte) Thomas Westley Tindall Cole, 2/18th Battalion. He enlisted on 8 April 1941 and embarked for Malaya. He was commanding bren guns when attacked by the Japanese - all of his men were killed and Pte Cole's heel was shot away, he and the reinforcements were all taken prisoner of war (POW) and sent to Changi. 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 POWs 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. Private Cole, aged 23, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 7 June 1945. He was the son of Westley Walter and Myra Valerie Cole, of Parkes, NSW. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 10.