Media releases
Tripoli, Libya, Saturday 13 July 2002 - MVT073/2002
Australian War Dead Remembered at Tobruk
The lives of 856 Australian servicemen were remembered today as Trade
Minister Mark Vaile paid his respects at Commonwealth War Graves in
the Libyan port city of Tobruk.
Mr Vaile, believed to be the first Australian Government Minister
to visit Tobruk since Prime Minister Robert Menzies in 1956, laid
wreaths on behalf of all Australians at moving ceremonies at war cemeteries
in Tobruk and nearby Acroma in the presence of 20 members of an official
Australian Trade Delegation to Libya.
“Some 61 years ago Australian and Allied troops, known as the Rats
of Tobruk, defied overwhelming odds to hold the port against the enemy,”
Mr Vaile said.
“Historians record the Allied forces successful defence of Tobruk
as the first major set-back to the German advance in World War II.
“Approximately 14,000 Australian troops took part in the defence
of Tobruk, but today we remember the lives of the 856 Australians
who did not return home.
“The lives of some of Australia’s best and brightest were cut short
at Tobruk, but their actions and their memories will live forever.”
Mr Vaile paid special tribute to Corporal Jack Edmondson of the 2/17th
Battalion, the first Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross in
WWII. The Victoria Cross is the highest military bravery award bestowed
to Australians and it was posthumously awarded to Edmondson for the
bravery he showed saving the lives of his mates.
Mr Vaile also paid tribute to the Libyan head gardener of the war
cemeteries, who has maintained the graves with respect and dignity.
Libyans and Australians are buried side by side at Tobruk and the
friendships that were forged on the battlefield between the two countries
is a lasting reminder of the historical ties that exist, Mr Vaile
said.
Media Contact: Mark Croxford +61 02 6277 7420
Local Date:
Friday, 05-Dec-2008 13:57:33 EST
