... access to the Civilian Service Medal 1939 -- 1945 (established as part of the Australian Honours System in 1994) AWLA veterans and their supporters continue to campaign for recognition, and the Australian Government is currently considering ways to further recognise the service of AWLA members on the occasion of its 70th anniversary in July. The sinking of the Montevideo Maru On 1 July 1942 an unmarked Japanese transit freighter, the Montevideo Maru, was taking 1051 Australian soldier and civilian prisoners of war to Hainan Island. Most of those on board had come from Rabaul. The vessel was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine USS Sturgeon on that day, and there were no Australian survivors. This represents the greatest loss of Australian lives at sea in either war or peace. The story of the Montevideo Maru has been covered in some detail in a previous Parliamentary Library Background Note. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the Montevideo Maru a new memorial to the tragedy will be dedicated at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Anzac Day 49 Battle of Milne Bay The August-September 1942 Battle of Milne Bay is regarded as the first time a Japanese land operation was decisively defeated during the Second World War. Australian infantry and American engineers began building airfields at Milne Bay, on the south eastern tip of Papua, in June 1942. Expecting a Japanese attack, the airstrips were protected by 9000 Allied troops, including the 7th (Militia) and