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2nd / 26th Australian Infantry BattalionPrint Page Print this page

03-February-2013
03-February-2013

Photographs supplied by Russell Byers

The plaque commemorates those who served in the 2nd / 26th Australian Infantry Battalion during World War Two.

The plaque location is indicated by a red poppy in the second image. 

The Battalion was raised in late 1940 for service during World War Two, and undertook garrison duties in Malaya and Singapore prior to the start of the Pacific War.  In 1941–1942, following the Japanese invasion of Malaya, the Battalion fought during the Malayan campaign. After the fall of the island, however, a large number of men became prisoners of war, remaining in captivity until being liberated at the end of the war in 1945. The battalion was never re-raised.

Location

Address:Fairbairn & Limestone Avenues, Eastern Precinct, Australian War Memorial, Campbell, 2612
State:ACT
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -35.28127
Long: 149.148974
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW2
Approx. Event Start Date:1940
Actual Event End Date:15-August-1945

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Wednesday 3rd August, 2011
Front Inscription

2 / 26th Australian Infantry Battalion
8th Division, AIF

A Queensland unit, the 2/26th was sent to Malaya in 1941.  It  saw action against the Japanese there and in Singapore in 1942.  Between 1942 and 1945 members of the battalion suffered as prisoners of war on Singapore Island, the Burma - Thailand Railway, Borneo, Indo-China, the Sandakan death marches, and in Japan.

In memory of those members who died on active service or as Prisoners of War, and to all who served in the Battalion

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au