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.

 

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Names

Showing 8 people of interest from cemetery

MCDOWELL, Frederic Richard John

Service number 403070
Pilot Officer
No. 457 Squadron (RAAF)
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 4 Feb 1917

STOBO, Robert Henry

Service number N/A
Deck Cadet
M V Neptuna
Merchant Navy
Born 9 Apr 1905

RUNDLE, John Charles

Service number REV
Group Captain
Born 4 Jan 1897

BALD, Hurtle Clifford

Service number 17154
Sergeant
1st Signal Squadron
AIF WW1
Born 26 May 1894

DOLPHIN, Arnold Victor

Service number NIL
Flying Officer
Born 4 Aug 1916

SMITH, D'Arcy Patrick

Service number WX4014
Corporal
Headquarters Northern Territory Force
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 22 Nov 1906

LANE, David Gethen

Service number 416343
Pilot Officer
No. 2 Squadron (RAAF)
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 26 Jan 1917

JEROME, William Henry

Service number VX120085
Staff Sergeant
5 Infantry Battalion AMF
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 26 May 1901

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