We
arrived at the entrance of the Australian War Memorial just as a group of
teenagers converged ahead of us so we inched our way in to have our bags
tagged.
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| View of the Commemorative Area from the entrance to Hall of Memory; The names of nations, including Malaya, are on the walls |
Such
a visit to a national war memorial or museum dedicated to those who have died
as a result of war, will be a valuable experience when people learn to
appreciate the military for their service and sacrifice.
For
generations who have never experienced the hardship of wars, it is essential
for them to look back and learn from history – whether good or bad – so that
they can build a better tomorrow for themselves and future generations.
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| Quotation in the lobby of the Australian War Memorial |
As
I explored the galleries in the Australian War Memorial and saw the collection
of exhibits for the First World War, Second World War, Cold War, Korean War,
the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesian Confrontation among others, a lump
started to form in my throat.
The
galleries are well curated and designed for visitors to have an immersive sound
and light experience, complete with low lighting, soundscapes in military
schemes along with voices, music and battle noises.
While
I may not have been through any war, I have heard first-hand experiences and
horror stories of the Second World War from our grandmother and my dad who
survived the Japanese invasion and occupation.
 |
| School children on an educational visit in the Australian War Memorial |
Dad’s
duties as a medical first responder, was to rescue the injured and provide
first-aid before sending them to the hospital. He probably also carried the
wounded on stretchers before and after dressing their wounds and sending them
to safety.
I
read from his Discharge Certificate that dad was discharged from his duties
from 29 January 1947. In recognition of his service in the War of 1939 to 1945,
dad was awarded three medals: The 1939/1945 Star, the Pacific Star and the War
Medal.
 |
| Seen at the exhibit on Stretcher-Bearers |
At
the exhibit on Stretcher-Bearers, I was drawn to read the small White plaque which
read (in part) like this:
“…stretcher-bearers
worked tirelessly to perform first-aid and carry the wounded to aid posts and
dressing stations. As non-combatants, the stretcher-bearers from the Australian
Army Medical Corps were not armed, but just like any other soldier they faced the
dangers of the front line.”
 |
| Sculpture of a Water Carrier |
“Water,
even more than other essentials, was key to life at Anzac, and for most of the
campaign, every drop had to carried to the front lines from reservoirs and
wells near the coast.”
These
brief descriptions echoed what my dad told me about his work in the field and increased
my respect for the service and sacrifice of the military, even the
non-combatant soldiers.
Then
a familiar outline of a map I recognized as Johor in then Malaya made me pause
to study the names of towns like Muar, Bakri, Batu Pahat and Yong Peng that
included my hometown, Johor Bahru. The name for Parit Sulong was in Red bold
print, so I had to read the accompanying plaque:
 |
| Map of Johor in the Australian War Memorial |
During the Japanese advance, the battalion was sent to
the Bakri area. Following the heavy casualties, Anderson took command of the
brigade and led it in a fighting withdrawal toward Parit Sulong.
Cut off and surrounded, for four days he led attacks
against roadblocks and enemy positions. Finally trapped and with no possible
hope, Anderson ordered that everything be destroyed and survivors form groups
to try to get south.
Once Singapore fell, Anderson became a prisoner-of-war
and later worked on the notorious Burma-Thailand Railway. Afterwards he
returned to farming. In 1949, he was elected to federal parliament where he
served as the Country Party member for Hume.”
 |
| Gallery for the Malayan Emergency |
This
was a guerrilla war fought in Malaya between communist pro-independence
fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army and the military forces of the
Federation of Malaya and Commonwealth (British Empire).
The
communists fought to win independence for Malaya from the British Empire and to
establish a communist state, while the Malayan Federation and Commonwealth
forces fought to combat communism and protect British economic and colonial
interests.
The
term “Emergency” was used by the British to characterize the conflict in order
to avoid referring to it as a war, because London-based insurers would not pay
out in instances of civil wars. [Credit Reference
from: Wikipedia]
The
Malayan Emergency struck a familiar chord because under the Briggs Plan (named
after Harold Briggs), the British forcibly relocated a million civilians into
concentration camps dubbed, “New Villages.”
 |
| The Kuching Stone |
To
do this, I documented a heritage story, “The Legacy of New Villages” in
my book, My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, the third and
final instalment that completed the trilogy of My Johor Stories books. [MPH Publishing
Kuala Lumpur, 2022.]
Another
exhibit that caught my interest was the Kuching Stone. Inscriptions on the
stone were in Chinese characters while the information plaque read like this:
“This
stone commemorates the opening of the Kuching prisoner-of-war camp on 15 August
1942. The stone bears the name of the camp commander, Colonel Suga Tatisuji,
and the command, “Be faithful.”
 |
| View of the Commemorative Area and the Eternal Flame to a backdrop of the Hall of Memory |
The prisoners had about one cup of rice each, per day
and whatever they could buy or steal. They were given no medicine. Many adults
died from malnutrition and disease but remarkably, not one child died.
We can now regard this stone as a memorial to all who
suffered at Kuching.”
Outdoors
in the Commemorative Area, I read the names of Malaya and Singapore emblazoned
on the walls along with the names of the nations in the allied forces and saw
the eternal flame that burned to honour the memory of the fallen.
 |
| Inside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier |
“An
unknown Australian soldier killed in the war of 1914 – 1918. Known unto God. He
is all of them and he is one of us.”
At
the opposite end of the Commemorative Area, from an elevated position, I saw the
landscaped gardens and roads in the heart of Canberra that led directly to the
Parliament House, situated on top of Capital Hill.
On
our way out from the Commemorative Area, we walked on the upper corridor pass the
Roll of Honour, an entire wall covered by bronze panels that listed over
103,000 Australian armed forces members who died in service.
Dubbed
cloister walls, strings of red poppies decorated these walls where the blooms
were placed next to the names in their memory.
 |
| It was encouraging to see groups of students and young people being guided through the Australian War Memorial |
This
flower symbolises the blood-red poppies that bloomed across battle-scarred,
war-torn European landscapes. In Australia and the Commonwealth, the poppy is
worn on the left side, close to the heart on Remembrance Day (November 11).
The
mood was contemplative as we made our way out of the War Memorial.
An
experience in this destination certainly brought the reality of war and its
consequences alive as I recalled our grandmother’s and my dad’s first-hand
experience stories. I watched as more visitors arrived, many of them youths.
And
I echo the sentiment that indeed, “There are no winners in war.”
#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue
#MyJohorStoriesFebruary2026
