THE STORIES of the men of the 2/18th battalion who served during World War II - many of whom were drawn from the Northern Tablelands - have been told publicly for the first time in a new book by Armidale author Kevin Smith.
Stories from Sandakan was launched at the Armidale Folk Museum on Thursday and tells of the experiences and fate of soldiers imprisoned at Sandakan in northern Borneo.
The book was launched by local State MP Richard Torbay, who noted that two-thirds of the battalion had been recruited in the New England North West and far North Coast.
Until Dr Smith undertook his research many families had no detailed account of what had happened to the men incarcerated at the Japanese prisoner of war camp.
“This book puts flesh and bones on those who served in the 2/18th battalion,” Mr Torbay said.
“They emerge from these pages as a lively group of young men, each with a story of his own. Up to this time many of their families and descendants did not know how they died, the circumstances in which they fought and about their personal experiences as prisoners of the Japanese.”
The statistics are stark. Of the 2000 men of the 2/18th who fought in Singapore and Borneo, only 200 returned. Of the 174 imprisoned at Sandakan just 17 survived.
Stories from Sandakan was launched at the Armidale Folk Museum on Thursday and tells of the experiences and fate of soldiers imprisoned at Sandakan in northern Borneo.
The book was launched by local State MP Richard Torbay, who noted that two-thirds of the battalion had been recruited in the New England North West and far North Coast.
Until Dr Smith undertook his research many families had no detailed account of what had happened to the men incarcerated at the Japanese prisoner of war camp.
“This book puts flesh and bones on those who served in the 2/18th battalion,” Mr Torbay said.
“They emerge from these pages as a lively group of young men, each with a story of his own. Up to this time many of their families and descendants did not know how they died, the circumstances in which they fought and about their personal experiences as prisoners of the Japanese.”
The statistics are stark. Of the 2000 men of the 2/18th who fought in Singapore and Borneo, only 200 returned. Of the 174 imprisoned at Sandakan just 17 survived.
Continue reading at: Stories from Sandakan launched in Australia
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