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Labuan Cremation Memorial stands in Labuan War Cemetery which is on the small island of Labuan (part of Sabah, Malaysia) in Brunei Bay, off the coast of north-west Borneo. The island is best reached by air from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, from where there are daily flights. There are also flights from Singapore and Manila. The cemetery lies on the right side of the Jalan Tanjong Batu road, which leads from the airport to the town. The Cemetery is approximately 0.5 kilometre from the airport and about 3 kilometres from the island's town of Victoria.
The Labuan Cremation Memorial commemorates 34 soldiers of the Indian Army who were killed during the fighting in Labuan or who died in Labuan while prisoners of war in Japanese hands, and were accorded the last rite required by their religion - committal to fire. Standing immediately in front of the Indian Army plot in Labuan War Cemetery, it takes the form of a stone pylon with four faces, surmounted by an urn. The names of those whom it honours are carved on the faces, and it bears an inscription in English, Hindi and Gurmukhi which reads:
IN HONOUR OF THESE SOLDIERS OF THE INDIAN ARMY WHO DIED IN BATTLE AND WHOSE MORTAL REMAINS WERE COMMITTED TO FIRE
Wheelchair access to the cemetery with some difficulty. For further information regarding wheelchair access, please contact our Enquiries Section on telephone number 01628 507200.
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