The  Montevideo Maru

How easy to forget, the slaughter that raged here 

For what was once a place of peace, became an abyss of fear 

One thousand Aussies drowned, in a torrent of utmost hate 

Some said it was an error, some said it was their fate 

Taken aboard as prisoners, after the fall of Rabaul 

Their names now etched in history, on a heroes’ wall 

The cursed slaves of Nippon transferred to Hainan 

To work until their bodies quit, they were a close, knit band 

The Sturgeon lurked deep below and saw the rising sun 

Four torpedoes on their way, the fury had begun 

For those trapped inside, their prison became their pyre 

Our greatest naval loss, caused by friendly fire 

Bodies, bruised and broken, they sang “Auld Lang Syne” 

Voices soon muffled, by the salty brine 

No pity for the victims, when will the madness end? 

War’s common riddle, that foe is now our friend 

The guilty have long since passed, no one knows their name 

Lost in the oblivion, shielded from their shame 

For all their atrocities, no one would stand trial 

The common denominator, the silence of denial.