On 4 September 2007, a memorial was unveiled at the tiny village of Parit Sulong, Malaya, to commemorate all those who died in The Muar Battle. Sixty-five years ago in January 1942, as the Japanese pushed the main Allied army down the Malay peninsula, two under-strength Australian infantry battalions (the 2/19th and 2/29th), a handful of gunners from 2/15th Field and 4 Anti-tank Regiments, and a depleted Indian Army contingent held back a vastly superior enemy force of 10,000 crack Japanese Imperial Guar.

This epic battle, which prevented the enemy from cutting off the line of retreat of the main Allied forces, was one of the most desperate, and least known, fighting retreats of the Second World War, for which the Australian commander Lieutenant-Charles Anderson was awarded a Victoria Cross.

After four days of relentless combat, the defenders reached the bridge at the village of Parit Sulong, only to find it in Japanese hands. Unable to break through and with no hope of relief, surrounded by superior enemy forces but unwilling to surrender, Anderson gave the order 'every man for himself'. Left behind at the bridge were the very badly wounded - over 100 Australian and 35 Indian soldiers, expecting Red Cross protection. This was not to be, and what followed was one of the most infamous massacres of World War 2.

In June 1997, while researching material for her 2004 publication, The Bridge at Parit Sulong, Lynette Silver wrote to the Director of the Office of Australian War Graves suggesting that the site of the massacre and the efforts of these gallant Australians be marked in some way. Her proposal received excellent support, but it took ten years to obtain the funding and secure the necessary permissions to finally become reality. When the project was finally approved and financed, due in no small part to the Office of Australian War Graves and staff at the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, Lynette was invited to be closely involved in the design of the memorial, as well as the wording on the granite tablet and the two information panels, which describe, briefly, the battle and the terrible aftermath. Lynette, who was invited to sit with the VIPs at the unveiling in recognition of her work and efforts in bringing the memorial to fruition, laid a wreath in memory of all who died.

Lynette, with the support of the Office of Australian War Graves, had been liaising for a considerable time with the Department of Defence, and had addressed an expert panel to put forward evidence that the remains of those massacred at the bridge, and buried in some kind of mass grave, had not been recovered. To coincide with the unveiling of the memorial, an official announcement was made regarding this issue. It is expected that within the next twelve months a forensic archaeological examination of the site will commence, under the auspices of the Department of Defence, to determine the whereabouts of the remains of these Australian and Indian soldiers. If the remains are located, they will be exhumed and reburied in Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore. Those with a connection with the Muar-Bakri-Parit Sulong battles are invited to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , so that she can keep relatives informed of any progress and maintain a support network.