Northern Territory

Adelaide River War Cemetery

Adelaide River is a township lying 113 km south of Darwin, on the Stuart Highway, the main north-south road from Darwin to Alice Springs. During WW2, Adelaide River was the headquarters of a large base and the war cemetery was created especially for the burial of service personnel who died in this part of Australia.

It was used by Australian General Hospitals Nos 101 107, 119, 121 and 129 and after the war the Army Graves Service moved into it other graves from isolated sites, temporary military burial grounds, and from various civil cemeteries in the area. These included Bagot Hospital Cemetery, Berrimah Hospital and War Cemetery. Daly Waters Civil Cemetery, Darwin Public Cemetery, Gove War Cemetery, Hughes Cemetery in Darwin, Katherine Civil and War Cemeteries, Larrimah War Cemetery, Milingimbi War Cemetery, Mt Isa War Cemetery in Queensland, where No 74 Camp Hospital once operated, South Goulburn Island Mission Cemetery and Truscott War Cemetery.

The war cemetery was taken over the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) in 1947. The Adelaide River War Cemetery was entered on the Register of the National Estate in 1984 and is also listed on the Northern Territory Heritage Register and Commonwealth Heritage Register.

A total of 434 war graves marked by bronze plaques are contained in this cemetery. The burials are made up of 14 airmen of the RAF, 12 unidentified men of the British Merchant Navy; one soldier of the Canadian Army; 18 sailors, 181 soldiers and 201 airmen of the Australian Forces and seven men of the Australian Merchant Navy. The Northern Territory Memorial to the Missing honours a further 292 Servicemen and women lost to the north of Australia. The adjacent civil section contains the graves of the nine Post Office staff killed on 19 February 1942 during the bombing of Darwin, one of 63 separate occasions from that date. The civilian casualties of WW2 include those of 31 Indigenous Australians.

Address:

Adelaide River War Cemetery
ADELAIDE RIVER NT 0846

Alice Springs War Cemetery

Located within the Alice Springs Cemetery, close to the aerodrome, the plot contains the graves of one sailor, 24 soldiers and three airmen of the Australian Forces. A post-war grave is located in the Church of England plot. The main road running north to Darwin was built during WW2 to facilitate the transport of supplies and war material to Australia's most vulnerable area.

Commemorations for 50th Anniversary of Bombing of Darwin at Adelaide River War Cemetery.

Adelaide River War Cemetery

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