Rabaul New Britain

Rabaul - Bita Paka

This cemetery, rectangular and level, is shaded by massive trees and entirely covered by closely mown grass. Entry is through wide, bronze gates. Inside stands an open colonnade building containing the Register and Visitors Book. On the other side is an avenue of bronze-panelled stone pylons, which form the Memorial for those 1,225 men who lost their lives in New Britain and New Ireland and who have no known grave. At the end of the avenue are steps up to the Cross of Sacrifice, which is the focus point of the graves of the 1,108 men who lost their lives during operations in the area or as Prisoners of War. Because the area is subject to earthquakes, a bronze plaque on a low concrete pedestal marks each grave instead of traditional headstones.