| Accession Number | P01649.002 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Australia: New South Wales, Bathurst |
| Date made | August 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal portrait of two Aboriginal servicemen, NX31736 Private (Pte) Frederick Beale (left) and ...
Description
Informal portrait of two Aboriginal servicemen, NX31736 Private (Pte) Frederick Beale (left) and his brother NX31660 Pte George Henry Beale (right), with NX31623 Pte Michael Joseph (Joe) Lynch (centre), all of the 2/20th Battalion. All three were captured, and became prisoners of war (POWs), in Singapore after its fall on 15 February 1942. The Beale brothers both spent time in Changi POW camp before being sent to Naoetsu Camp in Japan with C Force on board Kamakura Maru, and were forced to work as steel mill labourers. Pte George Beale died on the operating table, from injuries sustained in an accident after working a 24 hour shift, on 28 May 1943. His brother, Pte Frederick Beale survived the war and was released in September 1945. Pte Lynch was transported to Thailand with D Force, U Battalion, and worked on the Burma-Thai Railway.