The Bendigo District RSL Sub-Branch co-ordinated its annual Sandakan Commemorative Service on March 5 back at the city's dedicated memorial for the first time in three years.

Sub-branch president Peter Swandale said it was a good turn-out at the ceremony on Sunday.

"We had about 60 people come to stop and remember the more than 2500 Australians and British servicemen who lost their lives," he said.

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"These events were arguably the worst atrocity in Australian military history, yet they are rarely discussed."

The Sandakan death marches were a series of forced marches of allied prisoners of war held captive by the Empire of Japan in Borneo.

From July, 1942 to the end of WWII, three marches were conducted to move the often ill and malnourished prisoners westward from Sandakan to Ranau.

By the end of the war, only six Australians, who had escaped, survived the atrocity.

Mr Swandale said it was believed about 10 of the prisoners came from regional Victoria and at least four of them were from the Bendigo area.

"These are terribly sad stories, but they're important ones that need to be told," he said.

"I've been trying for a while to get a personal story told at our commemorations, and we were lucky enough to hear from Donald Munro this year."

Mr Munro and his wife Rosemary have attended the local Sandakan Commemorative Service for many years, honouring his father William Munro who served in the 2/10 Field Engineers.

In his speech, he outlined his father's involvement before he died at Sandakan on May 28, 1945.

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In the early months of imprisonment in Changi Road, there was a serious shortage of chaplains, so a number of suitably qualified men were appointed acting chaplains.

Bill Munro was one of these.

It was in this capacity he joined "B" Force, the first contingent to Sandakan and served until his death with 85 others on the day when the number one camp was abandoned and burnt down.

Mr Swandale said it was important to remember these prisoners, considering information on the horror in Borneo was only made public in the 1970s and 1980s.

"A lot of people don't know much about it, so we need to ensure we stop, remember and also learn as much as we can," he said.

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