Sydney: There is a growing call for the construction of a memorial for the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the Pacific during World War 2. In 2022, Narinder Parmar, a soft-skill trainer and author in Australia, urged authorities to build a permanent memorial in Canberra for the 2,800 Indian soldiers who perished in Papua New Guinea during World War II.
Among the survivors was his father, Major Chint Singh of the 2nd Dogra Regiment, whose tale of survival and camaraderie with Australian forces remains a powerful story even today.
Parmar said in a series of posts on X, “War Memorial for 3000 Indian soldiers died in Papua & New Guinea during WW2! I would like to request both political parties that a memorial erected in Canberra to honour Indian soldiers who fell in the line of duty during WW2 in Papua New Guinea and as a symbol of friendship forged by the Indian soldiers after the war with Australians. Chint Singh, one of the survivors of 3000 Indian POWs, was invited to sign the Japanese surrender flag, displayed in AWM, Canberra.”
The role of Indian troops in the Pacific Theatre is often overlooked. After Singapore’s fall in 1942, nearly 3,000 Indian soldiers were taken prisoner by the Japanese and sent to Papua New Guinea. Only about 200 survived the brutal conditions of starvation, disease, and cruelty.
Maj. Singh, leading his men through captivity, endured by eating grass and insects, maintaining discipline despite unimaginable hardship.
On 30 September 1945, Australian forces liberated Maj. Singh’s group at Angoram. Lt. F.O. Monk, struck by their resilience, recalled the moment they came ashore, malnourished but unbroken.
The 15th Australian Field Ambulance at Wewak provided care, with Sgt. Ron Bader writing letters for the soldiers and Nurse Sister Murch offering compassion. This forged a deep bond, which was captured in Maj. Singh’s 1946 farewell letter to the 6th Australian Division, praising their “sympathy, love, and affection.”
Maj. Singh, honoured with signing the Japanese surrender flag, visited Australia in 1947 and 1970, welcomed as a friend. Australian veterans like Sgt. Eric Sparke kept his story alive. A 1971 memorial in Angoram, built by the Returned and Services League for the fallen Indians, was later washed away during floods.
“One of them was my father, who along 3000 PoWs were shipped to PNG! He became chief witness in Aust War Crime Commission! His mateship with Australian officers nurtured post war, he cherished rest of his life,” Parmar says.
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Parmar’s call for a Canberra memorial seeks to honour these sacrifices and the India–Australia bond, rooted in wartime compassion. As bilateral ties grow through trade and shared Indo-Pacific interests, this shared history underscores a deeper connection.
For the Indian diaspora, a memorial would be a touchstone, linking their identity to ancestral courage and shared sacrifice.
Like the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial in France for Indian soldiers of World War I, a memorial in Canberra would bridge past and present, India and Australia.
