| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P06314.001 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | c 1940 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of QX7985 Private (Pte) Harvey James Petersen of Harvey Creek, Qld. Pte Petersen ...
Description
Studio portrait of QX7985 Private (Pte) Harvey James Petersen of Harvey Creek, Qld. Pte Petersen enlisted in July 1940 and served with No. 1 Independent Company on the island of New Ireland. He was taken prisoner of war (POW) following the Japanese invasion of January 1942 and held at Rabaul, New Britain. On 22 June 1942 Pte Peterson was one of an estimated 845 POWs and 209 civilians who embarked from Rabaul aboard the Japanese transport ship MV Montevideo Maru. The POWs were members of the No. 1 Independent Company, 2/22 Battalion and other units of Lark Force. Civilians included officials of the New Guinea Administration and missionaries. The ship sailed unescorted for Hainan Island. On 1 July 1942 all the prisoners died when the Montevideo Maru was torpedoed by a US Navy submarine, USS Sturgeon, off the coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines.