Labuan War Cemetery () is a
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
graveyard in
Labuan
Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan (), is an island federal territory of Malaysia. It includes and six smaller islands off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capital is Victoria, which is best kno ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
.
The cemetery
Many of the personnel buried in this cemetery, including
Indian and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n troops, were killed during the
Japanese invasion of Borneo or the
Borneo campaign of 1945. Others were
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
in the region, including a number of those who perished on the infamous
Sandakan Death Marches, and many hundreds of Allied POWs (mostly British and Australian) who died during their imprisonment by the Japanese at
Batu Lintang camp near Kuching were also reburied here.
This graveyard was erected by
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
. Among those buried are
Jack Mackey (1922–1945) and
Tom Derrick (1914–1945), each of whom received the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
.
/ref>
Gallery
File:Labuan War Cemetery Opening, 1945.JPG, The opening ceremony on 28 December 1945.
File:Labuan War Cemetery, Inspecting Graves.JPG, Grave inspection after the opening ceremony.
File:Labuan War Cemetery, Ending Ceremony.JPG, Australian troops leaving the cemetery after the opening ceremony.
See also
* Cheras War Cemetery
* Taiping War Cemetery
* Kranji War Cemetery
* Terendak Garrison Cemetery
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Labuan
Cemeteries in Malaysia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Malaysia
World War II cemeteries
Tourist attractions in Labuan
Sandakan Death Marches