Qualla: Kundasang War Memorial

Kundasang War Memorial: Introduction

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0. Of the 2,500 Australian and British prisoners of war held at the Sandakan camp in North Borneo during World War II, six survived. Six Australians. Every one of the British prisoners died. They perished in the camp itself, on the forced marches to Ranau, or in the jungle between the two. The Kundasang War Memorial, set on a hillside in a small town behind the vegetable wholesale stalls, does not let you forget these numbers. It does not let you forget, either, that the indigenous people of Sabah who risked everything to help the prisoners -- smuggling food, offering shelter, passing information -- were themselves killed for their acts of mercy. The memorial is divided into four gardens, each carrying its own grief, connected by a trail that visitors walk from beginning to end.

Read more: Kundasang War Memorial on Qualla

Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas | CC BY-SA 3.0

Kundasang War Memorial: The Man from Shell Oil

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0. The memorial exists because of Major Gordon Senior 'Toby' Carter, a New Zealander who held the Distinguished Service Order and worked for Shell Oil in Borneo after the war. In 1962, Carter proposed a memorial to honor the 2,428 Australian and British prisoners who had died at the...

Read more: Kundasang War Memorial on Qualla

Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas | CC BY-SA 3.0

Kundasang War Memorial: Four Gardens, Four Griefs

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Tofeiku, CC BY-SA 4.0. The memorial is organized into four interconnecting gardens, each with its own character and purpose. The Australian Garden centers on the Australian flag and a bronze plaque; a relief panel created by artist Ross J. Bastiaan in 1998 documents the history of the prisoners and inc...

Read more: Kundasang War Memorial on Qualla

Image: Tofeiku | CC BY-SA 4.0

Kundasang War Memorial: The Route Remembered

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0. The final element of the memorial is the POW Route, which traces the stations of the three death marches across the Sabah landscape. The route begins in Sandakan and ends at the memorial in Kundasang, with each station marked by a sign board. Walking the route -- or even reading ...

Read more: Kundasang War Memorial on Qualla

Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas | CC BY-SA 3.0

Kundasang War Memorial: Recognition Across Borders

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0. The memorial's creation and maintenance have drawn recognition from multiple governments. Sevee Charuruks, who contributed significantly to the memorial's upkeep, received the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from the British government and an honorary Mem...

Read more: Kundasang War Memorial on Qualla

Image: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas | CC BY-SA 3.0