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Media Release

The Hon Bruce Scott MP

Minister for Veterans' Affairs

Federal Member for Maranoa

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165/98

12 December, 1998

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NEW MEMORIAL RECOGNISES "FORGOTTEN" SEQUEL TO WWII

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A new memorial has been unveiled in Canberra to 
the thousands of Australian troops who served in the British Commonwealth 
Occupation Forces (BCOF) in Japan after World War II.

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Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Bruce Scott, unveiled 
the BCOF Memorial today in the Sculpture Garden at the Australian War 
Memorial, in front of invited guests including BCOF veterans from around 
the country, the Chief of the Australian Defence Force and the Japanese 
Ambassador.

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"Australian servicemen and women were stationed 
in Japan for close on seven years after the Japanese surrender in August 
1945," Mr Scott said.

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"They played an important role in helping 
Japan to make the transition from war to peace and the installation 
of democratic government, a contribution which, sadly, has largely been 
forgotten in the years since."

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It is estimated that more than 19,000 Australians 
served with BCOF, which at one stage consisted of more than 40,000 Commonwealth 
troops under Australian command.Â  The Australian occupation forces 
were predominantly responsible for the Hiroshima Prefecture and assisted 
in rebuilding the city devastated by the atomic bomb.

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BCOF later served as a staging point in Japan 
for Australian forces involved in the Korean War.

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"BCOF represents a unique part of Australia's 
military heritage as the first overseas occupation by Australian forces 
during peacetime," the Minister said.

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"It should also be remembered that it was 
soldiers from the BCOF forces who came home to form the nucleus of the 
modern Australian Regular Army."

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The memorial includes a raised garden bed built 
in sandstone and a forecourt paved in granite and featuring an etched 
map of Japan.Â  Panels provide a brief history of BCOF's role in 
Japan and the emblems of the three Australian services.

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The memorial also features three cherry trees 
donated by the Japanese Government in recognition of BCOF's service 
in Japan.

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Mr Scott said the BCOF Memorial was built by the 
Australian War Memorial with $50,000 funding from the Government's commemorative 
program, Their Service - Our Heritage, and thousands of dollars raised 
by BCOF veterans.

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Media Contact: Michael Priebe 02 6277 7820 or 
0418 482 514

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