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Home » Themes » Conflict » World War Two
2nd / 40th Infantry Battalion Memorial Garden Print Page 
The rose garden commemorates the members of the 2nd / 40th Infantry Battalion which served in World War Two.
The 2nd / 40th Infantry Battalion was the only battalion in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) recruited almost entirely from Tasmania. After months of training at Brighton Army Camp, it joined a detachment called Sparrow Force, sent on an impossible mission to defend the island of Timor from imminent Japanese invasion.
In February 1942 they were confronted by a force of 23,000 Japanese troops. After four days of heavy fighting, cut off, low on supplies and completely outnumbered, most of Sparrow Force had to surrender.
Consequently, the bulk of 2nd / 40th became prisoners of war. The 2/40th prisoners spent the first seven months of their captivity interned in a camp at Usapa Besar. From Java the prisoners were dispersed throughout Japan’s conquered territory. They were liberated in late-August and early September 1945.
Location
| Address: | Paterson Street, Kings Park, Launceston, 7250 |
|---|---|
| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -41.440143 Long: 147.129954 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Garden |
|---|---|
| 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 23rd February, 2013 |
|---|
2 / 40th A. I. F. Battalion
Plaque:
This memorial garden was dedicated to the 2 / 40th Battalion 1941/5 WWII by Helen Polley Senator for Tasmania
23 / 02 / 2013
