Lae War Cemetery
| Lae War Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission | |
| Used for those deceased 1939–1945 | |
| Established | 1944 (concentration cemetery) |
| Location |
6°43′23″S 146°59′49″E / 6.72313°S 146.99690°ECoordinates: 6°43′23″S 146°59′49″E / 6.72313°S 146.99690°E near Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. |
| Total burials | 2,818 |
| Unknown burials | 444 |
| Burials by nation | |
| Burials by war | |
The Lae War Cemetery, established in 1944, is located adjacent to the Botanical Gardens in the centre of the city of Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, in Papua New Guinea. The cemetery is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
In World War II, Japanese and Commonwealth soldiers fought to hold the strategic areas of Papua New Guinea, and the Morobe Province was the site of several heated campaigns in late 1942–1943; by 1944, the Japanese had been driven off the island. The cemetery holds the remains of over 2,800 soldiers, many of whom died in the Salamaua–Lae campaign, but also those who died in Japanese detention on the Island. As the remains of missing soldiers are recovered, they are interred in the cemetery.
In the early months of 1942, Japan dominated the skies. Lae and Salamaua were bombed on 21 January 1942 by 100 planes, and 3,000 land troops arrived on 7 March. There were also landings at Salamaua, followed on 21 July by further landings at Buna and Gona on the east coast, as the Japanese prepared to push through the Owen Stanley Mountains across the Papuan Peninsula to Port Moresby. Lae became one of the bases from which the Japanese launched their southward drive, until it was stopped at Ioribaiwa Ridge, a point within 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Port Moresby.
The cemetery was dedicated in 1944 by Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie Morshead, assisted by Chaplain C. M. Swan and Chaplain J. W. Drakeford. The Commonwealth Graves Commission assumed responsibility for it in 1947. The Lae Memorial commemorates 300 men of the Australian forces (including Merchant Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, and the Australian Army) who lost their lives and have no known grave. It contains a total of 2,800 burials, of which 444 are unidentified.
The front gate of the Lae War Cemetery.
The view towards the memorial once through the front gate.
Sign at the entrance.
Sign at the entrance.
The gate to the Indian section. Left side of the main gate.
Close up of one of the graves.
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Wikipedia