| Place | Oceania: Pacific Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Wide Bay Area, Kiep, Tol |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2017.1462.1 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Poem |
| Maker |
David, Oliver Lloyd |
| Place made | New Guinea: Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, Gazelle Peninsula, Rabaul |
| Date made | 1945 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
David, Oliver Lloyd (Private, b.1912 - d.2004)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of W52567 Private Oliver Lloyd David, 2/16 Australian Infantry Battalion, Rabaul, New Britain, 1945.
Collection consists of one handwritten copy of a poem titled “The Massacre of Tol”. The poem describes the scene of the Toll Plantation Massacre as discovered by the 2/16 Australian Infantry Battalion. The Tol Plantation Massacre occurred in February 1942, during the Japanese occupation of Rabaul, New Britain. Approximately 160 Allied prisoners were marched into the jungle by the Japanese, were tied up, and then were bayonetted or shot. The 2/16 Australian Infantry Battalion saw the site of the massacre in 1945, three years after it occurred. The writer of the poem (an unknown member of the 2/16 Australian Infantry Battalion), describes the scene, with weathered remains scattered in small groups and possessions lying around them. The last stanzas state a resolve to remember Tol Plantation Massacre.
The poem was copied by Private David and sent to his wife during his Second World War service.