Many gather to remember those who died in Japanese WW2 bombing of Darwin

ABC NEWS (Australia)

On this day 83-years-ago, Darwin came under attack in the single largest foreign strike on Australian soil - mounted by Japenese forces who rained bombs on the city. 252 people died in the strikes that changed the Northern Territory forever.

Transcript

00:00A heart-stopping display, giving a glimpse of Darwin in 1942, remembering the day Japanese

00:12forces bombed the city in the Second World War.

00:16More than 250 people lost their lives, hundreds more were injured.

00:22This was the day that the war came to Australia.

00:27In the sweltering Top End heat, the crowd fell silent, honouring those who died and

00:33the bravery of those whose lives were forever impacted by the attacks, including Indigenous

00:39Territorians.

00:40By sharing these stories and acknowledging the contributions of the Aboriginal people,

00:45we honour their legacy and ensuring that their sacrifice are never forgotten.

00:50The commemoration's message of sacrifice and hardship, bringing home the grim reality for

00:55young men at the time.

00:57Kind of strange, like all those people that fought for us were really young.

01:00They're like, some of them were 17 years old.

01:03The emotional event, drawing relatives of those who survived the assault.

01:09It's a must for an Australian who cares about our history, about our, just the flow of events

01:18you know, that make us who we are.

01:21As crowds gathered here at the Cenotaph, a key theme of the speeches at this year's bombing

01:25of Darwin anniversary, focused on Australia's increasingly important alliance with Japan.

01:32After 83 years, the two countries have evolved from sworn enemies to critical partners in

01:37the Asia-Pacific, with plans for Japanese troops to begin regular deployments here in

01:42Darwin alongside Australian and US forces.

01:46We've gone from being under attack, defending our nation, to welcoming them into our homes

01:51to participate and exercise with us.

01:53Reflecting on Darwin's history of war, as Australia navigates an uncertain future.

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