Plaque : HMAS Bataan

Brown lacquered wooden three pointed shield with a plaster ship's badge for HMAS Bataan, painted in gold, white, cream, red, green, dark and light blue. The badge, superimposed on a light blue ground, shows a naval crown above 'BATAAN' in white lettering on a red ground. Beneath, on a dark blue ground encircled with white rope, is a gold Baldheaded Eagle holding a green and white wreath within which is a tower on a red ground. Underneath this is a red scroll with white lettering 'UNGUIBUS ET ROSTRO'. Note that this Latin motto is not Bataan's official motto which was 'Stubborn to endure'.

This souvenir of the Tribal Class destroyer HMAS Bataan was one of a number of items decorating a wall in the Australian BOD Sergeant's Mess in Japan, where they served as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) between 1946 and 1952. HMAS Bataan was built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney in 1944 and subsequently saw service in the Second World War, BCOF, and the Korean War. She was present at the official surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. The ship was paid off at the end of 1954.