| Place | Oceania: Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Shortland Islands |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM20349.001 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Physical description | Brass, Cotton, Leather, Metal, Plant matter |
| Location | Main Bld: World War 2 Gallery: Gallery 2: Fall Sing |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c 1930s-1940s |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
Wallet and crucifix from Allied soldiers' mass grave : Ballale Island
Description
Folding leather wallet with clip and brass reinforcing strips at the corners. The wallet is lined with cotton material, and contains a small white metal crucifix. The leather outer surface is covered with soil, roots and plant matter, and a piece of cotton fabric adheres to one side.
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.