Event Details
- Date:
- Sunday, 30 June 2024 4:45 pm to 5:00 pm
- Location:
- Second World War Forecourt, Shrine of Remembrance, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, VIC 3001
- Details:
- Admission is free.
- This venue is wheelchair accessible.
- This event is child-friendly.
Join us at week's close to honour those who have served and sacrificed so that we may enjoy our lives of relative peace, comfort and freedom.
The Last Post Service takes place every Sunday at 4.45pm on the Shrine's northern forecourt and includes bugle calls and piper, Shrine Guard in historic uniform, a wreath-laying, recital of the Ode and lowering of the flags.
Each week we pause to remember a different event from Australia's military history. We remember the people who took part in those events, and the lives lost or forever changed. Visitors are welcome to lay a floral tribute at the Eternal Flame.
This week's service commemorates the sinking of the Montevideo Maru on 1 July 1942, considered the worst maritime disaster in Australia's history, with an estimated 1,054 lives lost. A Japanese prisoner-of-war transport ship mistaken for an unmarked freighter, the Montevideo Maru was torpedoed by the American submarine USS Sturgeon. While the ship did not carry the standard POW markings, the Australian government had previously notified the Allies it would be transporting prisoners. We remember the innocent lives lost in this tragedy, including over 1,000 Australian prisoners of war and civilians, along with allied personnel and the Japanese crew.
Shrine Representative
Shrine Governor Squadron Leader Matthew Little ( Ret'd)
Watch the live stream
Updated