Panel 1
SANDAKAN - RANAU
Death Marches North Borneo Jan. 1945–June 1945
[Locality map of Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines]
Sandakan Memorial Walkway
Sandakan - Ranau (Borneo) Death Marches WW2
Jan. 1945–June 1945
This Sandakan Memorial Walkway is dedicated to the 2434 Australian and British Prisoners of War who were sent to Borneo as members of B FORCE and E FORCE commencing July 1942 from Singapore POW camp to build a military airfield.
In January 1945, when the tide of World War 2 was turned against the Japanese, all POWs were to be marched overland 155 miles (approx 246.5klms) to the werstern side of Nth Borneo to act as labourers at Ranau another POW camp.
Only six (6) Australian soldiers successfully escaped & survived
[Names and service numbers]
There were ten (10) Servicemen (that's known) from this district who were POWs in Sandakan, none survived. They were:
[Names, units, and service numbers]
This Memorial Walkway was constructed by Tweed Shire Council and funded by Murwillumbah RSL Sub Branch, Tweed Valley/Murwillumbah National Serviceman's Sub Branch, Vietnam Veterans and Dept Of Veterans Affairs.
Murwillumbah High School Head History Teacher Mr. Peter Wilcox and a group of history students visited North Borneo in November 2009 and collected soil samples from Sandakan POW Camp site and Ranau POW Camp site. These samples have been quarantine cleared and will be placed in two time capsules by the invited relatives of the ten Tweed Servicemen who died and the time capsule will be opened on the 15th August 2045.
Officially opened and dedicated on 15th August 2010 by Professor R. Braithwaite BSc (Qld), MSc (Qld), PhD (Monash)
In Memory of all Australian and British Servicemen who died on the Sandakan - Ranau Death Marches or in POW camps, also to the local inhabitants and natives who risked their lives to give food and medicines to the POWs.
Tweed District Servicemen who were POWs and paid the Supreme Sacrifice for their Country
[Photographs with name, unit, service number, and date of death]
[Service records of four district soldiers and their photographs]
Panel 2
SANDAKAN MEMORIAL WALKWAY
Prisoner of War death marches North Borneo
North Borneo World War 2
Jan. 1945–June 1945
[Table: Details of the three marches, including dates and figures]
[Table: Summary - total numbers of POWs]
[Locality map of Singapore, Borneo and the Philippines; two other maps]
We also pay tribute to the local village people who supplied food and medicines to the POWs on the march and at the camp areas. These people were subject to execution by the Japanese if caught and unfortunately many were executed. The six survivors of the Death March period Jan–June 45 owe their survival to locals who hid them from the Japanese, fed them and led them to rescue.
Panel 3
SANDAKAN MEMORIAL WALKWAY
Sandakan - Ranau (Borneo) Death Marches January 1945– June 1945
[Poster with drawings: Sandakan The Last March]
Escaped and Survived the "Death Marches"
L/Bdr William Moxham 2/15 Fd Regt
"No effort whatsoever was made to bury the men. They would just pull them five to fifteen yards off the track and bayonet them or shoot them."
He and three others, Keith Botterill, Nelson Short and Andy Anderson escaped from Ranau POW camp on 7th July 1945, spent 7 weeks in the jungle, assisted again by local natives. Eventually in late August they were rescued by members of Z Force.
Tima, a local resident said:
"They were very thin, weak, and sad looking ...... They were without boots, some without shirts, all had long beards, long hair and walked with bowed heads that swayed from side to side. Whenever they passed they made signs with their fingers to their mouths that they were hungry and wanted food."
Escaped and Survived the "Death Marches"
Bdr J R Braithwaite 2/15 Fd Regt escaped from the second march May 1945 and describes condition on the march and the poor health of the POWs.
"The going was tough with heavy loads. I weighed about six and a half stone (41kgs) and was amongst the fittest. Some were hobbling on rough crutches, others very badly swollen with beri-beri. Malaria was rife as was dysentery, and few were without tropical ulcers - in some cases the bone showed from keen to ankle."
"The sound of shooting from the rear of the column was becoming more frequent." He escaped and assisted by local natives he was taken down river and on the 15th June 1945 - Braithwaite's 28th birthday - he was rescued from North Borneo by an American PT boat. A week later an Australian Colonel came to see him in hospital and told him they were going in to rescue his friends.
"I can remember this so vividly, I just rolled on my side in the bunk, faced the wall, cried like a baby, and said, You'll be too late."
[Service records of six district soldiers with their photographs]
Plaque 1
SANDAKAN
POW Camp WW2 July 1942– August 1945
SABAH
NORTH BORNEO
Australian POWs 1787
British POWs 641
Number of POWs survived 6
Number of POWs died on Marches 1047
Number of POWs died at Sandakan 1381
Total POWs at Sandakan Camp 2434
Total POWs dead 2428
A capsule is placed beneath this plaque to be opened 15th August 2045
Plaque 2
SANDAKAN - RANAU
Death Marches North Borneo WW2
Jan–June 1945
BOTO
Kampong (Village)
NORTH BORNEO
84.5 Miles (130 kms) from Sandakan POW Camp