Signalman Eric Jefferis Kent enlisted to the Second Australian Imperial force on 16 April 1941, after previously serving in the militia. After a period of training, he was assigned to 2/19 Australian Infantry Battalion as a reinforcement, and joined his unit in Malaya in September 1941. The following month, Kent transferred to 8 Division Signals and continued to serve in Malaya. In early 1942, he was taken as a prisoner of war of the Japanese. Signalman Kent was initially interned at Changi Prisoner of War Camp in Singapore, but was transferred to Sandakan Prisoner of War Camp, Borneo, as part of B Force in July 1942. On 24 April 1945, Signalman Kent died of malaria while a prisoner. He is commemorated at the Labuan Memorial, Malaysia.