| Accession Number | P07437.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Artgraf Studio |
| Place made | Australia: Victoria, Melbourne |
| Date made | c 1940 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Pre-enlistment studio portrait of VX57668 Private (Pte) James Albion Sheridan, 2/2 Pioneer ...
Description
Pre-enlistment studio portrait of VX57668 Private (Pte) James Albion Sheridan, 2/2 Pioneer Battalion, and his wife Mrs Nellie Sheridan, of Merbein, Vic. In February 1942 the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion was returning to Australia from the Middle East aboard HMAT Orcades. Upon reaching Indonesia they were ordered to assist in the defence of Java following the fall of Singapore. The troops from the Orcades, which also included the 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion, the 2/6th Field Company and other support units, combined with a battery of American artillery and a squadron of the 3rd Kings Own Hussars to form 'Black Force' in an attempt to defend Java. Dutch forces and Black Force were ordered to surrender on 8 March 1943. Most of Black Force, including Pte Sheridan, were made prisoners of war. On 23 October 1943, Pte Sheridan, aged 38, died in Burma while working on the Burma-Thailand railway.