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Atherton War Cemetery

Cnr Kennedy Highway and Rockley Road, Atherton

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Atherton War Cemetery (2005); Jinx Miles

Atherton War Cemetery (2005)

Atherton War Cemetery; C'wealth War Graves Commission

Atherton War Cemetery

Atherton War Cemetery (2008); EHP

Atherton War Cemetery (2008)

Atherton War Cemetery (1943); AWM

Atherton War Cemetery (1943)

South of Atherton on the Kennedy Highway, the war cemetery can be identified by the iconic Cross of Sacrifice. It is visible above the 164 simple white marble headstones honouring soldiers and airmen killed during World War II. War cemetery design was formulated by a small team of British architects after WWI. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission favoured the design of Forceville in France, the final resting places for those who perished in the Battle of the Somme. Elements of this layout were incorporated into the re-design of the Atherton War Cemetery in 1944. The Cross of Sacrifice symbolises the military character of the cemetery and the religious affiliation of the majority of the dead. The headstones are set in perfectly straight rows. The top of the headstone is engraved with the national emblem, the service or regimental badge of the deceased person, followed by their name, rank, unit and date of death. The creation of a garden setting evokes a sense of quiet contemplation and solitude. The Atherton War Cemetery was created in 1942, the same time the nearby Rocky Creek World War II Hospital was established. The Tablelands were training grounds for the jungle warfare of New Guinea.

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Coordinates: -17.27646745, 145.49369319

Full details of this heritage-registered place are in the Heritage register.

Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Last reviewed
1 July 2022
Last updated
28 February 2023