Event Details
- Date:
- Monday 12 May 2025 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm
- Location:
- Sanctuary, Shrine of Remembrance, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, VIC 3001
- Details:
- Admission is free.
- This venue is wheelchair accessible.
The 2/3rd Australian Pioneer Battalion was raised in May 1940 in Glenfield, New South Wales. As a pioneer battalion, they served in a dual role as engineers and infantry. They first served in Syria before moving to North Africa and taking part in the Battle of El Alamein. Between August and November 1942, the 2/3rd lost 28 men, but El Alamein was a vital, if bloody, victory for the Allies.
In 1943, the 2/3rd Pioneers returned to Australia for training in jungle warfare against the Japanese. They served at Lae and the Huon Peninsula, seeing their final action at Tarakan during the Borneo campaign.
97 men of the 2/3rd Pioneers were killed in action before the battalion was disbanded in early 1946.
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