The Kundasang War Memorial Gardens, Sabah, Borneo - A Tribute

Discussion in 'War Grave Photographs' started by bucklt, Dec 8, 2019.

  1. bucklt

    bucklt Bucklt

    Located in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu and at a distance of 100km from the town of Kota Kinabalu itself, The Kundasang War Memorial Gardens is a must-see for those of you visiting Sabah State in Borneo. note: 10 images attached

    Comprising 4 gardens, all at different levels, and all created via the efforts of one man back in the 1950s-1960s: New Zealander, Major G S ‘Toby’ Carter.

    The Kundasang War Memorial Gardens were finally completed in 1962 and dedicated to the memory of the 641 British and 1787 Australian men who had died at both Sandakan and during the 3 POW death marches to Ranau (from an initial 2500 POWs at Sandakan, only 6 survived ). It's also dedicated to all those Sabahans who had suffered and died at the hands of the Japanese during WW2.

    At a later stage it was to endure it's own fair share of misfortunes due to lack of funds, neglect and vandalism but, thanks to the efforts of one man, Sevee Charuruks (Thai), it has now been restored to it's former glory.

    General layout:
    Main entrance leading to The Australian Garden followed by The English Rose Garden which leads to The Borneo Garden (with wild flowers of Mount Kinabalu) and, finally, The Contemplation Garden with it's names' panels and fantastic views of the surrounding area.

    The entrance fee is only 10 MYR and please visit the shop for local crafts/souvenirs and, in doing so, ensure that this memorial continues to act as a reminder of their' sufferings during that terrible period in Borneo's history.

    My video of the Memorial Panels - with 2428 names - here:

    My video of the 4 Memorial Gardens here:

    The attached links provide a far-more comprehensive description of it's history.
    Google Maps
    Friends Of Kundasang War Memorial | Lynette Ramsay Silver, AM
    Kundasang War Memorial - Wikipedia
    Kundasang War Memorial and Garde
    http://kundasangwarmemorial.com/
    Stolen Years: Australian prisoners of war | The Australian War Memorial

    I can now provide images of all those 2428 names as they appear on the panels in the Contemplation Garden. There are 1787 Australians and 641 British soldiers listed on these memorial panels.

    LEST WE FORGET

    Tony Buckley :poppy: www.asiawargraves.com
    01. Aerial image (Google), Kundasang War Memorial Gardens, Sabah, Borneo © asiawargraves.com.JPG 02. Main Entrance, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens © asiawargraves.com.JPG 03. Gone But Not Forgotten, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens, Sabah, Borneo © asiawargraves.com.JPG 04. Memorial to Confrontation 1962-1966, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens © asiawargraves.com.JPG 05. The Australian Garden, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens, Sabah, Borneo © asiawargraves.com.JPG 06. The English Rose Garden, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens, Sabah, Borneo © asiawargraves.com.JPG 07. The Borneo Garden, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens, Sabah, Borneo © asiawargraves.com.JPG 08. The Contemplation Garden, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens, Sabah, Borneo © asiawargraves.com.JPG 09. Names' Panels , Contemplation Garden, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens © asiawargraves.com.JPG 10. Mount Kinabalu shrouded in mist, Kundasang War Memorial Gardens  © asiawargraves.com.JPG
     
    Deacs, Recce_Mitch and Owen like this.

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