The first hide didn't last long, and the replacements not long either. Take 4 sees a small shift in location but still a nano. BYO Pen.
This is not a great hide, but there is genuine local history here. The land for Breavington Park was donated by the Breavington family in memory of Rod Breavington, who was executed in Changi during WWII. The plaque shown in the gallery is at the diagonally opposite end of the park, closer to the playground. Rod Breavington is also remembered in Northcote - each year, the Northcote Police award the Breavington Award for outstanding police service, and hold a service together with Darebin RSL at the War Memorial in All Nations Park Northcote. The road along the west side of All Nations Park next to the Northcote Police Station is named Breavington Way.
Why is he remembered? The following account is (mostly) sourced from Patricia O’Dwyer’s article for the Balwyn Historical Society, and the Australian War Memorial's webpage.
Rodney Edward Breavington was Acting Sergeant of Police at Northcote when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour in December 1941. He quickly resigned from the police force and enlisted in the 2nd A.I.F, aged 38. Joining the Australian Army Ordnance Corps, Breavington was sent to join the 8th Division, which was fighting a fierce campaign against Japanese forces on the Malayan peninsula.
By 8 February 1942 the Japanese had landed on Singapore, and a week later the country fell to the Japanese. Breavington was one of 45,000 Australian and British troops captured in the surrender.
In May 1942 Breavington and Private Victor Lawrence Gale (from Balwyn) managed to escape from the Burik Timah Prisoner-of-War Camp in central Singapore. After seizing an open native fishing boat, they took to the open seas with only a little food and a few coconuts.
The story of what happened next differs. One version states that they headed for Ceylonese or Indian waters and that after sailing and rowing the small craft for 1,900 kilometres, they finally reached the coastal waters of Ceylon. Sighting a ship which they believed to be a British vessel, they hailed it only to find it was a Japanese warship. A second version states that they rowed and drifted for 200 miles before reaching an Indonesian island where they were recaptured. Both accounts agree that when re-taken by the Japanese, they were starving and in poor physical health as a result of their gruelling six week ordeal at sea. They were returned to Singapore in July 1942.
In late August 1942 the Japanese authorities tightened their policy on prison escapes. All prisoners were ordered to sign a statement swearing not to attempt to escape. Any attempt would result in the POW being shot. The Changi POWs refused to sign. The Japanese retaliated by forcing the thousands of prisoners held in the camp to remain out of doors crowded into a parade ground with little water, food or sanitation, in what became known as The Selarang Barracks Incident.
Three days later on 2 September 1942 when the men in the parade ground showed no sign of backing down, the Japanese Commander ordered Breavington, Gale and two British soldiers who had also been recaptured to be marched to Selarang Beach.
There they were first forced to dig their own graves. Breavington made a plea to the Japanese officer to spare Gale’s life, stating that he had only been acting under his orders. His plea was in vain. Allied officers were forced to watch as the four men were lined up in front of their graves and orders given to the firing squad to shoot. Their deaths were slow and brutal. By 5 September with the POWs herded into the parade ground falling ill and some dying of dysentery, the allied commanders capitulated to the Japanese demand that all POWs sign the “No Escape Pledge”. Approximately two weeks after their execution and burial on Selarang Beach, the AIF commanding officer in Changi Lieutenant Colonel Galleghan negotiated with the Japanese authorities to have their bodies removed to the AIF Cemetery at Selarang Barracks. Their headstones and final resting places can today be seen at the Kranji War Cemetery on Singapore Island.
For his escape attempt and brave stand to save his friend, Breavington was posthumously Mentioned in Dispatches.
After the war the Japanese officer responsible for the execution of the four Australian and British soldiers was tried and found guilty. He was shot by firing squad on the same piece of ground on Changi Beach on 13 April 1946.
In March 2011, 20 servicemen killed while escaping Japanese forces during World War 2 were recognized for their heroic escape attempts when they were awarded a posthumous medal for gallantry by the Australian Government. Private Victor Lawrence Gale was one of these courageous servicemen.
Sources–
The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (VX63100) Corporal Rodney Edward Breavington, Base Ordnance Workshops Malaya AAOC, Second World War. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2075971
Patricia O’Dwyer http://home.vicnet.net.au/~balwynhs/newsletters/letters/articles_11-12.pdf
Commendation for Gallantry Awarded to 20 POW – https://defence-honours-tribunal.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/FEPOW-Report_Public-Release.pdf
The Selarang Barracks Incident https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/changi/story1
https://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/tag/cpl-breavington/