JAKARTA
WAR CEMETERY Indonesia
Visiting Information:
The location or design of
this site makes wheelchair access impossible.
Location Information:
Jakarta (Djakarta) lies on the north-west coast of the island of
Java. Jakarta War Cemetery is in the suburb of Menteng Poeloe, 11 kilometres
from the city centre and is adjacent to the Netherlands Field of Honour, Jakarta
Selatam (South Jakarta). It can be reached by two main roads - Jalan Dr Saharto
and Jalan Casablanca. The Cemetery is entered on the northern side by a short
flight of steps leading into the Memorial building. The entrance faces the old
civilian cemetery where hawkers from the local market often spill out, partly
blocking access to the cemetery. The local name for the cemetery is Makam Perang
Jakarta.
Historical Information:
Jakarta, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, lies on the
north-west coast of the island of Java. It was the administrative capital of the
former Netherlands East Indies and was known as Batavia, the name used in the
records of the 1939-1945 War. Batavia was the port by which thousands of British
and Commonwealth servicemen entered Java in February 1942 from Singapore and
Sumatra, shortly before the Japanese invasion of the island. It was defended by
Nos. 232 and 605 (Fighter) Squadrons from Tjililitan airfield, a few miles
distant. Although greatly outnumbered and dwindling in strength, the fighters
remained in action in defence of the capital from 17th-27th February. The 77th
Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment was also employed in Batavia's defence. On 25th
February H.M.S. Exeter, Electra, Encounter and Jupiter and H.M.A.S Perth sailed
from Batavia to join the Eastern Striking Force at Sourabaya before meeting the
Japanese in the Battle of the Java Sea. On 1st March the Japanese landed near
Batavia, by the 4th the Dutch had ordered its evacuation, and on the 5th the
Japanese occupied the town. Most of the Allied prisoners of war captured in Java
were later concentrated in a number of prison camps around Batavia, one of the
largest being "Bicycle Camp", so named because it had been the barracks of a
Dutch cycle battalion. The camp held among its first prisoners 300 survivors of
H.M.A.S. Perth, and 250 soldiers of the 2/15th Punjab Regiment who had fought in
Borneo. In 1961 at the request of the Indonesian Government, the Commonwealth
dead from the Netherlands Field of Honour at Sourabaya, and from those at
Palembang, Medan and Muntok in Sumatra, were brought into the cemetery, which
already contained 474 Commonwealth war graves. Additional land was acquired to
accommodate all the graves, and the total number of burials was increased to
over 1,000. Jakarta War Cemetery therefore contains the graves of many who died
in defence of Java and Sumatra during the swift Japanese advance in 1942 and
many others who perished afterwards as prisoners of war. Among the dead were
sailors who fought in the Battle of the Java Sea, soldiers of "Blackforce"
including a number of Australians whose graves lie together in plot 6, and
airmen who died in flying battle and airfield defence. The cemetery is entered
on its northern side by a short flight of steps leading into a memorial
building. Two main grass avenues cross the site, one running north-south and one
east-west, and the Cross of Sacrifice stands at their intersection. The graves
of members of the forces of undivided India lie on a terrace in the southern
part of the cemetery. Here an Indian Forces monument has been set up; it is a
stone pillar crowned by a sculptured wreath and bearing wreaths on two sides,
with "INDIA" inscribed below one and "PAKISTAN" below the other. The graves are
marked by bronze plaques set in concrete pedestals. The cemetery is covered with
turf and planted with many colourful sub-tropical trees and shrubs.
No. of Identified
Casualties: 954
Jakarta (ANCOL) NETHERLANDS FIELD OF HONOUR
Location Information:
The cemetery is adjacent to the Ancol recreation centre,
through which visitors to the cemetery must pass. Most burials
are in mass graves: in each register entry the Roman numeral
indicates the mass grave and the Arabic number the location of
the symbolic marker on which the casualty is commemorated.
Historical Information:
There are 131 Commonwealth burials of the 1939-1945 war
commemorated here, 73 of which are unidentified.
No. of Identified Casualties: 58 |
