During WW2, approximately 2400 allied prisoners were held in Sandakan, then North Borneo. Between January to June 1945, groups of prisoners were sent on three separate torturous 160-mile marches from Sandakan to Ranau, known today as the famous Death March. Only 6 men survived. To remember those who died and suffered the terrible atrocities, relatives and friends in Australia have initiated August 15 as the Sandakan Memorial Day. The Memorial Day service will be held at the Sandakan Memorial Park which was once the site of the POW Camp.