Paterson Street was momentarily closed to traffic on Thursday morning as 100 marched from the mall to Kings Park to remember the Tasmanian World War II 2/40th AIF Battalion.
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The occasion marked exactly 75 years since the battalion was captured by Japanese troops in Timor, leading to all 919 of the soldiers being killed or made prisoners of war.
Leading the procession were Karen and Chris Cassidy, the children of the battalion’s last surviving Launceston member Ron Cassidy, who passed away in 2015.
Ms Cassidy said the march was all about keeping the battalion’s memory alive.
“There's only two of them left now, so this is a great day of remembering a very important event,” Ms Cassidy said.
“I pushed my father carrying the flag the year before last in this same wheelchair, and now Chris is carrying that on.
“The flag is very old and it’s the last one in existence (from the 2/40th battalion) so the RSL have kindly loaned it to us to guard with our life.”
Following the march commemorators gathered in Kings Park for a wreath-laying ceremony, a musical performance from Scotch Oakburn students and the symbolic releasing of 75 balloons.
Ms Cassidy said she had been thrilled with the turnout.
“Being a Thursday it isn’t really possible for a lot of people to get time off work but we thought it was important to do it on the day.
“So when I did turn behind me I was really proud to see how many people had made the effort to come.”
Friends of the 2/40th coordinator Rod Stone said public support for the event had been “unbelievable”.
“We're a very, very lucky country to have had men who have gone out and sacrificed their life and not come home in many instances, but the reality is for us we just have to give them that respect and say thank-you,” Mr Stone said.
“We’re remembering people for the right reasons and I want to thank the City of Launceston and the mayor and all the people who have contributed to today.”