The Coastwatchers Memorial in Madang honours the Allied intelligence operatives who stayed behind in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the Japanese occupation of World War II, transmitting vital information at enormous personal risk. Many were captured and executed; others survived years in the jungle before Allied forces returned.
The memorial is a modest structure in the centre of town but marks an important chapter in the Pacific War. Madang was a major Japanese base and the surrounding area saw years of guerrilla activity and intelligence gathering. For visitors already drawn to the WWII history of the region, the memorial provides a human face to the conflict's covert dimension.