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Sandakan Prisoner of War MemorialPrint Page Print this page

12-January-2016 (Roger Johnson)
12-January-2016 (Roger Johnson)
Photographs supplied by Mark Riggs / Roger Johnson

The monument commemorates prisoners of war who died at Sandakan and Ranau and on death marches during World War Two.

After the fall of Singapore and Borneo to the Japanese, a prisoner of war camp was established just outside of Sandakan to house approximately 750 British and more than 1650 Australian prisoners who were sent to the camp during the period 1942-43. In 1945, when the Japanese started to realise that the war may have been lost, and the Allies were closing in, the emaciated prisoners were force marched, in three separate marches, to the village of Ranau in the jungle, 250 kilometres away, under the shadows of Mount Kinabalu.

Only six Australians of the 2400 prisoners survived the "death march" - they survived because they were able to escape from the camp at Ranau, or escaped during the march from Sandakan. No British prisoners survived.

 

Location

Address:Bridge & Winton Streets, Tumbarumba, 2653
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -35.777477
Long: 148.011111
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW2
Actual Event Start Date:03-September-1939
Actual Event End Date:15-August-1945

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Saturday 12th November, 2011
Front Inscription

Remembering those who perished at Sandakan, Ranau and on the Death Marches

Especially :
Gordon Burgun    +
Charles Perrott    +
Robert McEwan  + 

1787 Australian servicemen perished 
Only 6 survived the death marches

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