It Happened to Us

These stories are about the members of the 4th Anti-Tank Regiment.

The regiment served in World War II in the thwarted defence of Malaya and in the charade of the defence of Darwin.

Three batteries of the regiment were sent to Singapore in the hope that they could help prevent the Japanese Juggernaut from invading Australia. The regiment succeeded in stemming the use of tanks by the Japanese army, but fell with the rest of 8th Division when Singapore was captured by them.

Thereafter the paths of the men in the regiment took different directions, so that, together, their stories cover a broad spectrum of the life experienced by POWs.

The fourth battery of the regiment was sent to Darwin to play its destined role there.

This book is primarily about anti-tankers and their service in helping to defend Australia against invasion by the Japanese.

It has been put together for the relatives and friends of anti-tankers and other POWs who either died in captivity or who, for whatever their reasons, did not talk about their experiences very much.

It is also for all those people who would really like to know what life was like in those long tedious years of war and internment.