English soldier takes on Borneo trek in memory of POWs

BOMBARDIER Michael Fitzgibbon has made history by trekking 164 miles through the Borneo jungle in memory of prisoners of war who died in one of history’s worst atrocities.

The Middlesbrough-born soldier, of the Royal Artillery, retraced the steps of thousands of prisoners of war (POWs) who lost their lives during the Second World War’s Ranau death marches.

The 26-year-old was part of the first post-war group to follow the route British and Australian POWs were forced to take by their Japanese captors from Sandakan to Ranau in Sabah in 1945.

Of the 2,432 prisoners, only six Australians survived by escaping and all 641 British POWs died, either on the death marches or by execution. More than 400 of these British soldiers were members of the Royal Artillery and its attached arms and services.

The former pupil at St David’s School, in Middlesbrough, who joined the Army straight from school, called the challenge a “once in a lifetime experience”.

He said: “Being Commando- trained I like to think I am always at a decent level of fitness, but I did a little bit more endurance training to build up.

“Humidity was a challenge as it was a different environment. I have been to the jungle before but this was a different type of jungle so there was a lot unknown and it was a case of suck it and see.”

Michael and his 14-strong team took part in a ceremony to dedicate a Royal Artillery memorial in the English Garden of the War Memorial Gardens in Kundasang, Sabah - 66 years after the final POWs were executed at Ranau.

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Sandakan Death Marches - A place to remember fallen heroes

World War II left a deep scar on Sabah with more than 16 per cent of its population killed during the conflict.



In particular, the infamous Sandakan death marches are deeply engraved on the collective memory of the local populace. The various memorials to the tragedy along the route of the marches provide thought-provoking destinations for the reflective tourist.



When Singapore fell to the Japanese, in February 1942, about 2400 PoWs, some 2000 of them Australians, were sent to Sandakan in what was then British North Borneo. Their job was to construct, under horrendous conditions, a military airfield.



As the war turned against the Japanese, and Allied bombing rendered the airfield useless, it was decided in January 1945 to move 455 of the fittest PoWs to the west coast to form a pool of coolie labourers.



SANDAKAN DEATH MARCHES



The journey, of about 300km, was to be on foot through some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world. In addition, the pro-British natives who had cut the track made sure it was the most difficult route possible as they thought it was to be used to move Japanese troops. The prisoners were skeletal, diseased, covered in scabies, wearing mere remnants of their clothing or loincloths. So began the Sandakan death marches.



Due to Allied bombing on the west coast the trek stopped at the village of Ranau. Starvation took its toll, as did dysentery and brutality by the guards. In March, Capt. Susumi Hoshijima declared that all prisoners were to be eliminated.



Two more marches were ordered, in May and June. Those too ill to move were murdered near the camp. By August, there was one prisoner left alive, Pte John Skinner of Tenterfield, NSW. He was beheaded on the morning of August 15. Five hours later the war was over. Those few prisoners surviving at Ranau were executed - nearly two weeks after Japan had surrendered. Of the 2400 PoWs at the Sandakan camp, only six survived. They escaped.



An eyewitness to the terrors is still with us. Domina Akui was a young girl when the Japanese arrived with the emaciated PoWs in her village of Paginatan in mid-1945. The villagers were shocked at their condition. Over two days, at the direction of her father, terrified and in mortal danger, she smuggled food to some of them.



One morning she found them gone. On a stump nearby there was a small tin which contained six gold wedding rings, some of them engraved. They had been left by the Australians as payment for her courage and kindness. Her father distributed the rings in the family. Domina, now in her mid-80s, has kept hers to this day.



OPERATION KINGFISHER



What makes the tragedy of the Sandakan death marches even more excruciating is that a plan for the rescue of the PoWs had been devised - Operation Kingfisher. A battalion of paratroopers had been trained. Landing barges and a hospital ship had been prepared. But due to faulty intelligence, HQ believed the camp was deserted. The paratroopers were sent on leave. The marches continued.



Today, there is a Memorial Park adjacent to the site of the Sandakan PoW camp.



All that remains of the hellish spot are parts of the excavator used in constructing the airstrip, sections of the boiler and alternator that supplied the camp's electricity, and three concrete water tanks.



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British heroes of Sandakan-Ranau Death Marches remembered

There was a solemn air at the Kundasang War Memorial as large crowds gathered to remember British prisoners of war (POWs) who fell in the infamous 1945 Sandakan-Ranau death marches.



Local dignitaries, led by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai, and top brass from the British army, led by Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery Major-General CC Wilson, were present at the ceremony to pay tribute to the fallen heroes.



A total of 641 British PoWs died in the Sandakan-Ranau death marches.



A series of forced marches through marsh land and dense jungles in Borneo also caused the deaths of over 2,400 allied PoWs.



Of the figure, many also died in prison camps in North Borneo (Sabah) after they were captured by the Japanese during World War II.



Only six people, all Australian servicemen, survived the horror after they managed to escape.



“This is a simple yet important ceremony to remember all those who sacrificed their lives for a Sabah that we now cherish,” Dr Yee said.



Describing the event as a very moving ceremony, Gen Wilson said while all these were history, the past continues to haunt people these days.



“We had not really understood what the ordeal was sixty-six years ago until Major Tulloch John did all this research and we came to know that the Royal Artillery suffered very badly.



“The death march is a terrible thing to have happened,” he said.



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British soldiers re-trace routes of Sandakan-Ranau Death Marches

RANAU: Lieutenant Harry Hyslop thought that after five months of strenuous training, he would be ready for one of the biggest challenges he had ever embarked on.



Although the 23-year-old British soldier knew he was in for a surprise, Hyslop was very much determined to pursue this lifetime opportunity.



Just a few months back, he found out about the Sandakan-Ranau Death Marches.



“I knew that British soldiers served in Myanmar and Vietnam, but not in Borneo. What was more intriguing was the death marches involved Australian and British soldiers. I have never heard of that part of the history until recently,” he said.



And when he heard about a selection process to pick British soldiers to embark on the first ever journey to re-trace the routes of the death marches, it did not take him long to sign up for the challenge.



At least 40 soldiers signed up for the challenge, but after thorough screening, the number was reduced to 14. Hyslop was among the lucky ones.



“It was a challenging experience one could ever feel throughout the march, but it was also equally fascinating. It was fantastic.



“I have always like challenges, it is for physical development. When I learned about the death marches, I was very much intrigued. The more we talked about it, the more I wanted to do it (the walk).



“In a way, I believe it is a way for me to show tribute to the fallen heroes. It is a historical moment that should be re-liven,” he said when met at the Kundasang War Memorial yesterday.



Although he was happy to be able to complete the challenging walk, Hyslop admitted: “I do not think I would have survived if I had walked the walk about six decades ago.”



The Sandakan-Ranau Death Marches were a series of forced marches in Borneo which resulted in the deaths of over 3,600 Indonesian civilian slave labourers and 2,400 allied prisoners of war held captive by the Japanese during World war II at prison camps in North Borneo (now Sabah).



By the end of the war, of all the prisoners who had been incarcerated at Sandakan and Ranau, only six Australians survived, all of whom had escaped.



It is widely considered to be the single worst atrocity suffered by Australian servicemen during the Second World War.



The idea to re-trace the routes was mooted by retired Major John Tulloch of the Royal Regiment of Artillery in England.



“I was visiting Sandakan in 1999 and made a shocking discovery. Of the 641 British soldiers who served here, 400 were from our regiment. So I thought to myself, something must be done to honour them.



“And so I set my course, met up with some expatriates and locals who introduced me to the right group of people. They gave me the encouragement and told me that it can be done,” he said.



Tulloch spoke to several others who shared his passion, and he was more determined than ever to make his dream a reality.



Well like any beautiful stories, Tulloch’s determination and passion pushed through. Fast forward several years later, and after getting the green lights from the relevant authorities, he managed to inspire enough people to re-trace the death marches routes. And as the saying goes, the rest is history.



For the 65-year-old, what was more interesting was the involvement of the Sixth Malaysian Royal Regiment which also sent 15 soldiers to accompany the Britons in their journey.



“We have the memorial service to honour the dead on August 27 annually, but I felt there was something lacking. So by having the walk to re-trace the death marches routes which ends with the memorial service, it would bring a lot of difference, it is like the pinnacle on top of everything,” he said.



Tulloch understands the challenges one has to endure when trekking through the thick jungles.



“I know the jungle very well but that does not mean I lived in the jungles. I grew up in Penang and as a child, I used to run in the hutan (jungle) a lot, as oppose to doing homework … that was my early exposure to jungle life, an early jungle training.”



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Surviving the WWII Borneo Death Marches

Trekkers are uncovering more sections of a gruesome WWII Death March that claimed thousands of Australian lives.



AS WHISTLING SCREAMS ERUPTED overhead, allied bombs thumped the Japanese airbase in Sandakan, northern Borneo, in January 1945. Emaciated Australian and British POWs scattered with their Japanese guards in a hunt for cover. The tide of war was changing; the allies were advancing. The bombing had destroyed the POW-built airstrip, and now, there was no longer use for these already debilitated men.



Nearly 2000 Australian prisoners were tortured, executed and starved to death by their Japanese captors in Sandakan POW camp and Death Marches. Of 2671 prisoners, 1812 Australians, and 641 Britons never made it out alive. This little-known event is one of the most devastating losses of life in Australian history.



Forced into slave labour by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore in 1942, thousands of Australian and British men were taken to Sandakan, northern Borneo where they were forced to build a Japanese military airstrip. In an effort to quash any resistance among POWs, 170 captive officers were removed from Sandakan and transferred to the Kuching south west of Sandakan.



Following the officers' removal, conditions deteriorated rapidly. Beaten, malnourished, and suffering severe tropical diseases, the men became slaves - forced at gunpoint to build a Japanese airfield. "The sick were gradually given less and less rations than the ones that could work," says 94-year-old Lt Russ Ewin, a former Australian officer who spent 15 months in Sandakan before moved to Kuching.



Death Marches begin



When advancing Allies successfully destroyed the military airstrip in January 1945, the Japanese began a retreat to the western coast of Borneo. In an attempt to prevent POW liberation, Lt Gen Masao Baba, commanding officer of the 37th Japanese Army, ordered Australian POWs westward to Ranau - 265km through dense, treacherous jungle, in the shadows of Mt Kinabalu.



These POW treks became known as the Death Marches for the enormous number of lives lost along the way.



The first Death March of 350 men, most of whom were extremely weak, left on 29 January 1945 - shortly after the bombings. "Men who had stopped, too weak to press on, were often bayonetted or shot where they lay," says Dr Kevin Smith, historian and author of Escapes and Incursions and several other books about the events. "The men [who] were selected were sick, starved, malnourished and carrying wounds from previous battles."



They also suffered the mental trauma of repeated beatings. For many, including men as young as 16-year-old - often bare foot and ill with malaria and malnutrition conditions such as beri-beri - were doomed before they began.



"You can really imagine the spirit and determination of these guys when walking the track," says Wayne Wetherall, an expert trekker who operates historical tours along the trail and has help redisover sections of it. "The stories that I've heard are the most horrific and terrible stories you could ever imagine."



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The Borneo Death March

The 264-kilometre hike from Lolosing to the summit of Taviu Hill in the central highlands of north Borneo has been dubbed the toughest hike in the world. But a group of 14 British soldiers have set off in the hope of becoming the first to complete the full length of the infamous Borneo Death March.



Only six Australians survived the death marches enforced by the Japanese towards the end of World War II. Three marches claimed another 1,781 Australian and 641 British troops. All who managed it were malnourished, many afflicted with malaria or beriberi. They were beaten along the way, and those who survived were shot or bayoneted.



The atrocities were considered too great for public consumption and were hushed up by governments in London and Canberra for decades after the war.



In more recent years, the trek has been transformed into a pilgrimage for veterans of all wars and people wanting to pay their respects to the fallen along the Sandakan to Ranau route. In doing so, many have attempted to complete the historic trail, but the journey has proven too arduous and none have finished.



The latest expedition was put together Maj. John Tulloch a retired veteran of many conflicts, including Vietnam, where he served with the New Zealand army, and Northern Ireland after transferring to the British military, where he served with the Royal Artillery Regiment.



Tulloch came to North Borneo, now the East Malaysian state of Sabah, in 1999 to commemorate the fallen. After some basic research he realised the vast majority of British soldiers who perished here were from his own regiment and this made it all the more personal.



‘I was determined there must be official regimental recognition for the members of the Royal Artillery and their attached arms and services who tragically lost their lives in such unspeakable conditions,’ he said. ‘Moreover, I felt that in addition, the Royal Artillery should conduct a remembrance march of the 164-mile Death March route in memory of the POWs.’

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Aussie trekker claims to have made a Borneo Death March track discovery

AN Australian trekker says he has uncovered two new sections of the infamous Sandakan Death March track in Borneo which would help with the preservation of one of the country's most tragic and heroic wartime histories.



More than 2400 Australian and British prisoners of war died on the mountainous track during World War II, where they were sent to build an airstrip for the Japanese and were beaten, tortured and executed.



Only six Australians escaped and survived.



The route was lost for 60 years but opened to the public in 2006.



But trekker Wayne Wetherall, whose company Kokoda Spirit trains Victorian hikers, says he has discovered two new sections of the route after intensive research and interviews with those who witnessed the attacks on Australian soldiers.



"The real answers for us have been actually walking through the jungle and talking to the local people aged in their 90s now who were the carriers," he said.



His research also included piecing together information from the Australian Office of War Graves recovery maps, Japanese death certificates and the Australian War Memorial archives.



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66th Sandakan Memorial Day - Shared history strengthens ties with Australia

SANDAKAN: Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Miles Kupa, said the shared history of bravery and tragedy in Sandakan and Ranau, and the interactions between the people, are the foundation of the warm personal links between Australians and Sabahans, and between the peoples of Australia and Malaysia.



He said that those bonds between our people and nations, would forever be strengthened by this shared history and common story.



“The story of Sandakan is one of the most tragic and important in Australia’s World War II engagement.



“It is a story that remained neglected for too long, but the story is becoming increasingly prominent in Australia’s consciousness,” said Kupa at the Sandakan Day Memorial Service yesterday.



He said the Australian Governor-General, Quentin Bryce AC, spoke here at last year’s Sandakan Day, and it was another important step towards ensuring the terrible events in Sandakan occupy a crucial and important place in Australian history.



“Two thousand and seven hundred Australian and British prisoners of war were taken to Sandakan. The conditions were appalling. The prisoners were beaten and fed meager rations of rice. :They became ill and malnourished and nearly everyone died when the death marches to Ranau began in 1945,” said Kupa.



Of the 1,060 men who originally set out on the marches, only six survived – two men escaped into the jungle during the marches, and four survived after arriving at Ranau.



For the six Australians who survived, Sabahans provided them with food, shelter and safety.



“We must also acknowledge the bravery and selflessness of the local Sandakan population, and the people of Sabah more generally. During the occupation of North Borneo, 28 local community leaders were murdered, 16 per cent of the community were killed, and their land, homes and resources were decimated. For these local people who risked their own lives to help the Australians, and for that, we will be forever grateful,” he added.



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66th Sandakan Memorial Day - Future generations should know Death Marches

SANDAKAN: Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Peter Pang En said the history of war and the Death Marches more than 65 years ago must be passed on to the future generations.



“Today marks the 66th anniversary of the end of Second World War. Our shared wartime history between Malaysia, Australia and Britain is a reminder of not only the sacrifice and endurance of those who perished but also the loss and longing of family members,” said Pang at the Sandakan Day Memorial Service at Sandakan Memorial Park yesterday.



“We must also remember the local communities who took the risk and lost their lives in helping those Allied soldiers.



“They are classified as our honoured heroes,” he said. He added that as we reflect our continued desire for freedom and peace, we must remind ourselves that there is nothing noble about wars.



Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) president Datuk James Wong said that we must ensure the endurance, suffering and sacrifice of those brave servicemen and the local people who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our country must never be forgotton.



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Sandakan war memorial puts right an ‘oversight’

SANDAKAN: A memorial to honour Allied troops who died fighting to liberate North Borneo from Japanese occupation towards the end of World War II was unveiled here yesterday.



The statue of a standard issue 303 rifle with its barrel in the ground and a slouch hat slung across the butt symbolizes the military practice of marking where a soldier has fallen.



A crowd of more than a hundred local and international dignitaries, including veterans from the Australian invasion force, were on hand for the unveiling of the memorial marking the 66th anniversary of the end of the war and the liberation of Sandakan.



For Roy Atkinson of the Royal Australian Air Force, the memorial also commemorated the civilian deaths and the atrocities committed upon them by the Japanese, including a barbaric practice he called ‘hamstrung’, which he discovered upon landing here in 1945.



‘Hamstrung’ was a practice wherein the Japanese would simply sever the hamstrings, behind the knee, on both legs with a knife.



It was inflicted on men, women and children and was designed to stop them from running away or causing trouble.



“We visited the kampung out of curiosity and here was this little boy on the ground dragging himself along by his elbows – he’d been hamstrung – unfortunately we couldn’t do anything for him.



“It makes you bitter and I can understand people who retaliate and do things equally as bad.



“This is how war affects men. I can understand if you lose a mate, you are affected but when it’s callously done (like this), it’s not warfare…but that’s me,” he said.



Historical oversight



The memorial is also designed to address a historical oversight. It is the first of its type constructed in Borneo by Malaysia dedicated to the fallen from all nations in World War II.



North Borneo was a British colony, only joining the Malaysian federation on Sept 16, 1963.



As such responsibility for war graves and memorials in this part of the world has remained almost solely under the auspices of Canberra and London.



Some like Dr Kamarulnizam Abdullah, Associate Professor of Strategic Studies and International Relations at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, believe that this war memorial represented much more to Malaysians, particularly in light of the country’s sometimes tense relations with the West.



He said recent trips by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to the United States and Europe – where formal ties were established with the Vatican – and the deal struck between Australia and Malaysia involving the processing and resettlement of refugees were enormous strides designed to improve Malaysia’s standing.



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Sabah Tourism: Sandakan Memorial Day

Date: 15 August 2011

During World War II (WWII), approximately 2400 allied prisoners were held in Sandakan, North Borneo.



Between January to June 1945, groups of prisoners were sent on 3 separate torturous 160 mile marches from Sandakan to Ranau, known today as the infamous Death March. Only 6 men survived.





To commemorate those who perished and suffered the terrible atrocities, August 15 has been designated as the Sandakan Memorial Day by the Malaysian government.



A time to remember the Australian and British soldiers, as well as the local people of Sabah who suffered and died during this period.



The memorial service will be held at the Sandakan Memorial Park which was once the site of the Prisoners Of War (POW) Camp.

Further Information



Organiser : Sandakan Municipal Council

Contact Person : Mdm. Catherin Chua

Telephone : +6089 224026

Fax : +6089 274659 / 272112

Email Contact : Catherin.Chua@sabah.gov.my



Source: Sabah Tourism



NOTE: Photos Copyright to e-borneo.com

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Aussie Minister, MPs complete Sabah Death March walk

Ranau: Australian Defence Minister (Material) Jason Clare, Independent MP and "king-maker" in recent Australian politics, Robert Oakeshott, planted a tree each at the Last Camp, Saturday, to mark the completion of their five-day Death March walk.

A total of 1,787 Australian and 641 British prisoners of war died. Only six Australians escaped and survived.

Clare was the first full Australian Defence Minister to ever retrace Sabah's Death March trail.

But, significantly, the Death March is intimately related to Independent MP Robert Oakeshott, who gained world fame for his "king-maker' role in the recent Australian hung Parliament, because his grand father, Captain Dr John Oakeshott, was one of five Officers and 10 ordinary soldiers who survived beyond Japan's surrender but was unfortunately executed on August 27, 1945, at the Last Camp, at Kg Kenepir, 5km south of Ranau town.

Joined by Liberal MP Scott Morrison - Shadow Minister for Immigration and a group of 12 students from nine schools in New South Wales, the high profile politicians walked 90km through tough and humid jungle sections of the 1945 Death March trail between Bauto to Gambaron, Maliau to Koporon, Taviu to Liwagu, Nabutan to Muruk to Marakau, although the full length of the Death March trail from Sandakan to Ranau is 265km.

The walk culminated in a profile service at the Church Campsite, Ranau, followed by a visit to the Last Camp Memorial where Robert Oakeshott paid tributes to his grandfather, Captain Dr John Oakshott.

They later visited the Ranau War Memorial, Kundasang, for their last ceremony, officiated by historian, Lynette Silver, who was their interpreter throughout while Tham Yau Kong and his pack of 10 guides provided the support.

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Aussie Defence Minister to 'experience' Death March

Kota Kinabalu: Australian Defence Minister (Material) Jason Dean Clare and two other Australian Members of Parliament will relive part of the 1945 Death March trail with a dozen students selected from nine different schools in Sydney, beginning today (Sunday).

The MPs - Liberal Member of Parliament Scott Morrison and Independent MP Robert James Murray Oakeshott who became world famous for his "king maker" role in the recent hung Parliament - would cover the tough portions of the march over five days.

They flew in from Singapore Saturday.

The walk will cover Bauto to Gamabron near Telupid, Maliau to Wonod, Taviu to Liwagu, Nabutan to Muruk and Marakau to Ranau, culminating at the Last Camp.

Lynette Silver, famed historian and author of several best known books on the Death March, would be the chief interpreter along the way.

State Culture, Tourism and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the visit of an Australian Defence Minister was a "great honour" to Sabah.

He said at a welcome dinner Saturday that Jason Clare's visit reaffirmed the "special bond" between Sabah and Australia based on bedrock of people-to-people relations has never been shaken by any tiffs at the political level in the past.

In response, Clare noted that six thousand Australians walk the Kokoda Track (in New Guinea) each year.

"My hope is not just a better understanding of the story of Sandakan but a better understanding for all Australians so that more Australians will come to visit Sandakan and walk in the footsteps he will be walking the next few days.

"There is a special bond between Sabah and the people of Australia as the Minister has said," Clare said.

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Never enough on Sandakan Death March

Kota Kinabalu: Several detailed books have been written on Sabah's 1945 Death March. Will another on the same subject be one too many?

Paul Ham, a veteran Australian journalist and a former Sunday Times London correspondent, doesn't think so.

"History is never complete," Paul Ham argued, especially when the perspective of many local people have not been sufficiently tapped about the Japanese occupation of North Borneo and its impacts on the local community.

So he is going ahead with a new book about the Japanese occupation of North Borneo, setting the Death March in the context of the overall picture, Paul said.

"My aim is to set it in the context of the local people and the impact of the Japanese occupation on the local community," explained Paul who paid generous tributes to authors before him, citing Lynette Silver, for instance.

"I greatly admire the amazing pioneering research job done by Lynette, I don't pretend to improve upon her research, but I would like to just give a slightly different perspective," added Paul who trekked tough sections of the Death March trail in March with several friends from Sydney, guided by trail blazer Tham Yau Kong and group.

He said he had spoken to a number of local people who related a very familiar story of Japanese occupying their villages, taking their food and driving them into the jungle, from where they launched hostile reprisals.

"And there are some amazing stories of courage and heroism which are independent of the Death March," Paul noted.

"It's an illuminating experience for me just talking to so many local people," he added. "I think the problem often with Anglo Saxon reading of history is they tend to be rather egocentric and we need to balance that with a local perspective.

"I am not directing that on any particular historian, just saying that we do tend to look at the past through our own prism." But he is not new to writing books, though.

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Sabah’s history from 1946 to 1963 needs documentation

KOTA KINABALU: There is a need for more local historians to document what happened in Sabah from 1946 to 1963, according to local historian Professor Dr Danny Wong Tze Ken.

This was because no documentation was carried out during this period of 17 years, Wong said in his keynote address at the Sabah Society’s 50th anniversary dinner on Saturday night.

While there were documentations like the work of Tan Sri Herman Luping and the late Datuk James Ongkili to refer to, there was not much else because historians have not started working on this period, Wong said.

Therefore, more Sabahan historians needed to do research on Sabah’s history, especially about time after the World War II, Wong said in his address entitled “Recent Development in the study of Sabah’s history”.

He began with the colonial era and the Chartered Company days which to the locals was the beginning of social transformation from tradition to modernity.

“Many began to attend schools and those who received modern education moved on to occupy white-collared jobs. This is an important transformation that was suddenly taking place. So by the time the Japanese army came in 1942, a sizable number of locals have been educated and then formed the nucleus of a group of elite that would emerge after the war as an alternative to the traditional elite that was based on lineage and family,” he said.

According to Wong, the Japanese occupation ended the Chartered Company rule in Sabah. However, despite its importance, the knowledge of this period was very sketchy.

There were some publications on this period but still insufficient to provide a larger and clearer picture, he said, adding that the lack of information on the war was of course caused by the massive loss of lives that happened during the closing stage of the war.

“With the destruction, many individuals as well as collective memories were lost. Most of what we know today were information about what happened during the war collected from archives abroad to reconstruct the history of that period,” he said.

Wong also pointed out that the attention on the war had been drawn to the plight of the allied prisoners of war (POWs) who were interned in Sandakan and the Death March.

Continue reading at: Sabah’s history from 1946 to 1963 needs documentation

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BIMP-EAGA Tourism Initiative To Capitalise On Borneo's WW2-Related Events

KUCHING -- A regional tourism initiative spearheaded by the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines-East Asean Economic Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is expected to attract more tourists to Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan, especially for World War Two (WW2) commemorative events, beginning this year.

Sarawak Tourism and Heritage Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Ik Pahon said today the relevant agencies from the two states and Labuan would discuss such a collaboration next month to give tourists from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom more choice to attend WW2-related events through the Borneo Heritage Trail.

"It will be a Borneo circuit and I am confident that by this November, more friends from outside Sarawak whose parents may have also been involved and took part in the fighting in WW2, will be able to stay here longer and contribute towards the enrichment of our shared historical heritage," he said when opening the Wartime Heritage Exhibition 2011 at the Sarawak Arts Museum, here.

He said ongoing tourism promotions on wartime-related events and historical heritage sites, including the Heroes Monument in Kuching, Sandakan Memorial Park and Labuan War Cemetery, were fragmented.

Another site was the former prisoners-of-war campsite at the Batu Lintang College here, which houses a mini museum, and where overseas visitors, among them Australian groups, came to see the place where their forefathers were held captive during the war, he said.

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Australian students set to participate in Sandakan Death March Trek

SANDAKAN, the site of Japan’s worst wartime atrocity on Australian troops, will soon be revisited by group of young Australians eager to foster a greater understanding of each other and our shared history.

On April 9, four students will join youngsters from Cronulla and the bush to trace the steps of the notorious death marches endured by Australian prisoners of war in Borneo in 1945.

Sam Jalloh from Punchbowl Boys’ High, Katherine Kopsaris from Bankstown’s St Euphemia College, Chanel Steiner from Bankstown Girls’ High and Issa Jebara from Granville South High will depart Australia for the Sandakan Mateship Trek 2011 on Friday, April 8.

They will be joined by parliamentarians including Blaxland Labor MP Jason Clare, Cook Liberal MP and Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and Lyne independent MP Rob Oakeshott, as well as Punchbowl Boys’ principal Jihad Dib and eight youngsters from other regions.

Together the group will walk along the notorious trail where more than 2420 Australian and British troops died at the hands of Japanese forces.

“Sick and starving PoWs were forced to march 260km from Sandakan to Ranau in 1945,” Mr Clare said.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Australian students set to participate in Sandakan Death March Trek
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Stories from Sandakan launched in Australia

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.

Continue reading at: Stories from Sandakan launched in Australia
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