Closure comes for victims of Australia's worst ever maritime disaster

Over 80 people attended the presentation at the Wangaratta RSL of the finding of the wreck of the Montevideo Maru by Captain Roger Turner RN (Retd), the search director for the expedition which found the wreck. The evening was hosted by Worshipful Master of Sir Dallas Brooks Daylight Lodge Ken Broomhead and Worshipful Master Matt Denatris of Wangaratta Lodge of St John. The Montevideo Maru was a Japanese transport ship torpedoed by the Americans in 1942 with over 1000 troops and civilians losing their lives, the majority Australians. Capt Turner delivered his presentation gratis and the RSL donated raffle prizes as well as fully supporting both the Montevideo Maru and Bangka Island presentations. "It was a delight to be invited to re-tell the story of how Montevideo Maru was found," Capt Turner said. "Local historian, Thelma Buchanan, had found a number of North East families whose forebears were among the victims of the tragedy. "It made the evening more special to be able to include their specific stories in the presentation. "Finding Montevideo Maru in April 2023 and the extraordinary global media coverage that resulted from it did much to bring attention to an otherwise little-known story. "The story is that of Australia’s worst ever maritime disaster, in which 1073 souls from 15 nations were lost including some 979 Australian servicemen and civilians. "Each of those losses is a personal tragedy for every one of the victims’ families of whom many came from North East Victoria. "Finding the wreck and its attendant publicity has helped those families to understand better the events leading to the loss of their loved ones and to unite them in preserving their memories. "In doing so it has helped to bring closure to over 80 years’ of uncertainty and grief and reminds us of the importance of bringing more than just words when we say ‘Lest we forget’." Presenters on the night included Judy Balcombe, a member of Friends of Bangka Island where the Japanese executed 21 Australian Nurses, survivors from the sinking of the Vyner Brooke, together with civilians and around 60 Allied Servicemen at Radji Beach after the fall of Singapore. Civilian internees also died in a prison camp and were in addition to the civilian prisoners killed on Radji Beach. On board the Vyner Brooke were Sister Dorothy Gwendoline Howard 'Bud' Elmes (who died at Radji Beach) and Sister Caroline Mary 'Carrie' Ennis (who died at sea after the sinking), who were honoured at the Oxley memorial which was unveiled in March this year. Friends of Bangka Island plan the annual memorial service for all war victims, which is attended by the family members of the Australian Army Nurses and civilian internees killed, along with representatives from the Australian Embassy. Ms Balcombe is also a member of the Heritage Committee of the Australian Nurses' Memorial Centre and a co-founder of the Muntok Peace Museum (http://muntokpeacemuseum.org). She has visited Bangka Island each year since 2011, where her grandfather died as a civilian internee in August 1944, and spoke about the memorial and her visits. More than $2700 was raised on the night and donated to the Bangka Island initiative. The Masonic lodges acknowledged support of Capt Turner, Ms Balcombe and Arlene Bennett, former president of the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre in Melbourne, plus the RSL. Ken Broomhead said Capt Turner reiterated how important it was to bring the attention to the Montevideo Maru tragedy, and bring closure to many relatives of those who went down on the ship. "It was also a wonderful opportunity to bring attention to the Bangka Island massacre and subsequent efforts to support the residents of the island plus keeping alive the enormous contribution and sacrifices of not only the nurses but the many civilians and other military personnel who died or suffered there," he said

Closure comes for victims of Australia's worst ever maritime disaster

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, 9 September, 2026

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