2 / 22nd Battalion ( Australia ) The 2 / 22nd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . Raised as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for service during World War II , the battalion formed part of the 23rd Brigade , attached to the 8th Division . It was captured by the Japanese during the Battle of Rabaul in 1942 . After being captured , the battalion was not re - raised and a large number of its personnel died in captivity ; those that did not were returned to Australia at the end of the war in 1945 . History . Formed on 1 July 1940 at Victoria Barracks , Melbourne , the 2 / 22nd Battalion formed part of the 23rd Brigade , attached to the 8th Division . The battalion ' s personnel were drawn from the state of Victoria , and included a number of veterans of the World War I . Shortly after being raised it moved to Trawool , Victoria , to undertake infantry training on 11 July . In September , the battalion was then required to march to Bonegilla , arriving on 4 October . There they undertook further training before being sent to Sydney in April 1941 to begin the move to New Britain . Upon formation , the 2 / 22nd ' s commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Howard Carr ; he would remain in command of the battalion throughout its brief existence . On 26 April 1941 , the 2 / 22nd arrived at Rabaul , New Britain , where they formed the main element of Lark Force , along with a few artillery units , a field ambulance , a detachment from the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles and No . 24 Squadron RAAF . They were tasked with protecting the seaplane base at Rabaul , the Lakunai and Vunakanau aerodromes and to delay any proposed Japanese advance towards Australia . Between April 1941 and January 1942 , the battalion helped construct defences and acclimatised to the tropical environment . The Imperial Japanese started bombing Rabaul in early January 1942 , in advance of an invasion . By 22 January , No . 24 Squadron had only three aircraft remaining and was forced to withdraw back to New Guinea , so the decision was made to crater both aerodromes in order to prevent the Japanese from landing aircraft . In anticipation of the coming invasion , the battalion withdrew from around Rabaul and set up defences on the western shores of Blanche Bay , only hours before the Japanese landings commenced at 01 : 00 on 23 January . A series of desperate actions followed near the beaches around Simpson Habour , Keravia Bay and Raluana Point as the Australians attempted to turn back the attack . As they were pushed back by overwhelming Japanese forces , the commander of Lark Force , Colonel John Scanlan , issued an order to withdraw . Elements of the 2 / 22nd that had not been captured escaped along New Britain ’ s north and south coasts , moving in groups of varying sizes up to company - strength , with about 300 men from the battalion managing to escape to Australia via New Guinea . The battalion was not re - raised at this time and those personnel that made it back to Australia were absorbed into the amalgamated 3rd / 22nd Battalion , which was formed from the 2 / 22nd survivors along with volunteers for overseas service from the 3rd Battalion , which was ordered to disband following its return from New Guinea . Later , this battalion was also disbanded and its personnel transferred to the 2 / 3rd Battalion . Some of the battalion who surrendered or were captured by the Japanese on New Britain were massacred at Tol Plantation , where around 160 Australians were killed . Their bodies would later be discovered by gunners from the 2 / 14th Field Regiment during the Australian campaign to secure the island in 1945 . Those that were not killed at Tol were interned as prisoners of war . In June 1942 they were embarked upon the " Montevideo Maru " for transport to Hainan Island . While at sea , however , on 1 July , the ship was sunk by the submarine USS " Sturgeon " off the Philippines , with 1 , 053 prisoners and civilian internees losing their lives . Those members of the 2 / 22nd that had remained at Rabaul were later transported aboard the " Natuno Maru " to Japan where they remained in captivity until they were released in September 1945 , following the end of hostilities . The battalion lost 608 men who died or were killed in captivity and one man wounded . Members of the 2 / 22nd received the following decorations : one Military Cross , one Military Medal and 16 Mentioned in Despatches . Battle honours . The 2 / 22nd received only one battle honour during the war , that of " Rabaul 1942 " .