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THE impenetrable bonds forged between prisoners of war in British North Borneo during World War II were remembered and lauded at the annual Sandakan commemorative service on Sunday.
Historian Lynette Silver, whose expertise lies in Sandakan history, was the guest speaker at the service.
In late 1944, with Allied forces advancing, the Japanese began moving the Australian and British prisoners of the Sandakan camp on foot towards Ranau, some 260 kilometres away, in what has become known as the death marches.
All the prisoners left in Sandakan died, half those who left on the marches died along the way and almost all those who made it to Ranau also died.
Of the 2434 prisoners who had been incarcerated at Sandakan, just six – all Australian – escaped and survived.
Ms Silver told the scores of attendees at the service of the “unity, cohesion and loyalty” formed among the prisoners of war, which allowed that handful of men to survive and their fallen colleagues to make it as far as they had in the face of incredible hardship.
She spoke of the united front prisoners put up against their captors, describing it as the embodiment of “don’t let the bastards grind you down”.
Examples of mateship and heroism were also given by Ms Silver, one of them being the sacrifice of Private Richard Murray to save his friend Keith Botterill.
They had both stolen food from the Japanese, but when the theft was discovered Private Murray took the blame, knowing he would be executed; Private Botterill went on to become one of the six survivors.
Ms Silver said the stoicism of these prisoners of war served as an inspiration to all.
She also said she and husband Neil had been fortunate enough to turn tragedy into triumph through such projects as the Sandakan Memorial Scholarship Trust.
The trust, established by the Sandakan Memorial Windows trustees, helps provide education to talented but impoverished students in the Malaysian state of Sabah (in which Sandakan and Ranau lie), who are from the ethnic minority group that helped Australian prisoners of war.