DVA 18 Monday 26 February 2001

This Week in History - Our Wartime Heritage

Issued by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Bruce Scott, to foster awareness of Australia’s wartime history and heritage during the Centenary of Federation.

March 1-7

March 1902: The first contingents of the Australian Commonwealth Horse arrived in South Africa to fight in the Boer War, the first Commonwealth military unit to serve in conflict.  The Boer War, between Britain and the two Dutch South African republics, had broken out in October 1899.  The peace treaty was signed in Pretoria on 31 May 1902.  Over the three years of the war up to 20 000 Australians had seen action as Colonial and Commonwealth forces; 606 were killed or died of disease and 538 wounded.

1 March 1901: The Australian Army was formed with the transfer of 28,963 colonial troops to the Commonwealth.  These troops continued to be administered under various State legislation until the passage of the Defence Act in October 1903.

1 March 1942: Having survived the Battle of the Java Sea, HMAS Perth and the United States Cruiser Houston were engaged off the western tip of Java in a battle that became known as the Battle of Sunda Strait.  More than half of Perth’s 680 crew were killed in the battle; more died as prisoners of war.

2-4 March 1943: 20 RAAF Beaufighters and 30 US Flying Fortresses all but annihilated a Japanese convoy in the battle of the Bismarck Sea.  Of the 6000 Japanese troops bound for Lae to re-inforce the garrison, only about 2890 survived.

3 March 1942: The Japanese bombed Broome.  The raid came when the port was crowded with refugees fleeing the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies.  Some 70 people, including many civilians, were killed in the raid.

4 March 1942: HMAS sloop Yarra was escorting a convoy of three ships escaping from the Dutch East Indies when they were attacked by three Japanese heavy cruisers and two destroyers.  All four ships were sunk and only 13 of Yarra’s 151 crew survived.

Media Contact: Mark Croxford  02 6277 7820 or 0408 645 787



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