| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | 124105 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white |
| Physical description | Black & white |
| Maker |
Harding, B A |
| Place made | Pacific Islands: Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul Area, Rabaul |
| Date made | 23 January 1946 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
The General Officer Commanding the 11th Division, Major Genral K W Eather places a wreath on the ...
Description
The General Officer Commanding the 11th Division, Major Genral K W Eather places a wreath on the concrete cairn at Vulcan Beach. Two memorial services, one at Vulcan Beach, the other at Rabaul, were held to mark the fourth anniversary of the sinking of the Japanese transport Montevideo Maru in which Second AIF prisoners and civilians died. The cairn marks the spot of the first Japanese landings. On 22 June 1942 an estimated 845 prisoners of war (POWs) and 209 civilians captured by Japanese forces embarked from Rabaul, New Britain, 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.