| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P04302.002 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Pacific Islands: Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul Area, Rabaul |
| Date made | August 2001 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Status to be assessed |
A hewn slab of granite marks the memorial to members of 2/22 Battalion, in Queen Elizabeth II ...
Description
A hewn slab of granite marks the memorial to members of 2/22 Battalion, in Queen Elizabeth II Park. The memorial was unveiled on 16 September 1993; an inscription on marble reads '2/22nd Batt Association. In memory of those who lost their lives. 11.1942'. The battalion was sent to garrison Rabaul as the infantry unit in Lark Force, arriving in New Britain in March and April 1941. The battalion suffered the loss of 571 men either during the New Britain campaign or later as prisoners of war of the Japanese. On 22 June 1942 an estimated 845 POWs and 209 civilians 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.