Melbourne Cup honour for museum.

Friday, August 14, 2015. 

By Olivia Miwil

olivia@nst.com.my

Pictures by Olivia Miwil.

KOTA KINABALU: The family members of the Sandakan Prisoners of War (POWs) have donated a replica of 1942 Melbourne Cup to Sabah museum.

The last surviving Australian POW Leslie B. Glover, 94, said  it was a significant gesture to place the replica of the cup at the site of prison camp in Sandakan, which is now a memorial park.

“The cup will rest in good company and be near to those souls took part in the 1942 Melbourne Cup race but never made it home.

“It gives me a great pleasure to be part of the (Victoria Racing Committee) team that bring this unique Melbourne Cup to Sabah to celebrate the 70^thyear of Freedom from Japanese in World War Two,” he said during the public viewing of the replica 1942 Melbourne Cup and the 2015 Melbourne Cup here on Wednesday.

The copy was made by Leslie’s son Michael who is the president of the Queensland Sandakan POWs Family and Friends Association.        

The Melbourne Cup horse race is  a sporting event of iconic significant to Australians.

In 1942, the morale of Australian POWs was boosted when they took part in sweepstakes for the Melbourne Cup. The prisoners spoke about the event for days.

The original 1942 Melbourne Cup was one of the few items taken to the Batu Lintang camp during the relocation of POWs to Sarawak.

During the war, Australian and British POWs were forced to build the Sandakan aerodome for the Japanese military and walk from Sandakan to Ranau, an arduous 260km trek through jungle.

Leslie, who worked in shipbuilding for Australian government, was 20 when he taken prisoner by the Japanese.  

“During the terrifying three-year imprisonment in Sandakan and Kuching, I was assaulted and suffered broken neck and legs.

“It was the mateship and great sense of humour among Australians that kept us alive during difficult period, “said the grandfather of six, who has had to undergo physiotherapy for 45 years.

Leslie travelled to Sandakan yesterday for the seventh times for another public viewing of the Cups at Sheraton hotel and also to remember friends perished in the war.

Leslie Glover, 94, last surviving Australian POW in Sandakan camp during World War 2.