Adelaide River War Cemetery, NT

Cemetery Details

Location 105 Memorial Terrace, Adelaide River, Coomalie - Northern Territory, Australia
Co‑ordinates S13.2310212, E131.1141941
Description

Location

Adelaide River is a township lying 116 kilometres south of Darwin, on the main north-south road from the capital to the railhead at Alice Springs. The War Cemetery adjoins the civil cemetery and is situated in savannah country about 1 kilometre from the Stuart Highway, in a short road which runs parallel to, and 100 metres from, the Adelaide River. Within the cemetery, the graves are set in grassed plots in an area contained by a raised concrete kerb. 

History

During the Second World War, Adelaide River was the headquarters of a large base, and the war cemetery was created especially for the burial of servicemen who died in this part of Australia. It was used by Australian General Hospitals Nos. 101, 107, 119, 121 and 129. After the war, the Army Graves Service moved other graves into the site from isolated sites, temporary military burial grounds and various civil cemeteries in the area - these included: Bagot Hospital Cemetery; Berriman Hospital and War Cemeteries; Daly Waters Civil Cemetery; Darwin Public Cemetery; Gove War Cemetery; Hughes Cemetery, Darwin; Katharine Civil and War Cemeteries; Larrimah War Cemetery; Millingimbi War Cemetery; Mount Isa Cemetery, Queensland - just over the border, where No. 74 camp Hospital was set up; South Goulburn Island Mission Cemetery and Truscott War Cemetery.

ADELAIDE RIVER WAR CEMETERY now contains 435 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War.

Within Adelaide River War Cemetery will be found the NORTHERN TERRITORY MEMORIAL (/explore/memorials/1641), which commemorates members of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Australian Merchant Navy and the Services Reconnaissance Department who lost their lives in operations in the Timor and Northern Australian regions and in waters adjacent to Australia north of Latitude 20 degrees south, and who have no known grave.

 

Read more...

Names

Showing 8 people of interest from cemetery

VAUGHAN, Warren Lindsay

Service number 433272
Flying Officer
Born 11 Feb 1925

DICKINSON, Keith Ernest

Service number 117834
Leading Aircraftman
Born 1 May 1911

GREEN, Zebulan

Service number WX1989
Sergeant
Works / Labour / Employment / 'Alien' Company/ies
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 30 Jan 1896

HENRY, Keith Braybrook

Service number 61691
Leading Aircraftman
No. 31 Squadron (RAAF)
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 12 Jun 1923

RUNDLE, John Charles

Service number REV
Group Captain
Born 4 Jan 1897

MIDDLETON, Bertram John

Service number 408052
Flying Officer
No. 24 Squadron (RAAF)
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 15 Dec 1918

SMITH, Stanley George

Service number 45738
Aircraftman
RAAF Station Darwin
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 15 Nov 1913

HARRIS, Victor Basil

Service number S26471
Gunner
108 LAA / later 101 Composite Anti Aircraft Regiment
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 1 Apr 1920

Showing 4 of 5 images.
Click images to start slideshow.