| Place | Oceania: Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Shortland Islands |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM20349.002 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Physical description | Glass, White metal |
| Location | Main Bld: World War 2 Gallery: Gallery 2: Fall Sing |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c 1030s-1940s |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
Rosary beads from Allied soldiers' mass grave : Ballale Island
Description
Two broken sets of rosary beads, both of which are missing their crucifixes. One set is made of blue glass beads threaded onto a white metal chain, while the other, of white glass beads, has a small white metal sacred heart medallion attached to its chain.
History / Summary
A letter from the Officer Commanding, 3 Military History Field Team, to the Australian War Memorial in November 1945 states that these relics 'were found in a trench which was the communal grave of a number of Allied soldiers killed by the Japanese on Ballale Island, near the Shortland Islands.' The men killed in this massacre are thought to have been British artillerymen captured on Singapore, who had been sent to build the Japanese airfield on Ballale. In about June 1943, all Allied prisoners remaining on the island were killed and buried in mass graves. 436 bodies of unidentified soldiers were exhumed post-war, and moved to the Bomana War Cemetery at Port Moresby, PNG.