Behind Yininmadyemi

Erected by the City of Sydney in 2015, Yininmadyemi – Thou didst let fall, honours the bravery and sacrifice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have served their country.

The artwork by Sydney-based Aboriginal Girramay artist, Tony Albert, was inspired by his grandfather Private Eddie Albert, who served in the Second World War.

In April 1941, Albert was captured following a German armour attack in Libya, where he was serving with the 2/15th Battalion.

He was one of many prisoners sent to Benghazi before being transferred to a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy. After spending two years interned in an Italian camp, Albert escaped in 1943 and joined the local partissans.

In April 1944, the groups was recaptured by Italian Fascists. Three of the seven allied soldiers were executed. Albert was among those to be handed over to the Germans, and he remained in captivity until the war ended.

The sculpture comprises four standing bullets representing those who survived, and three fallen shells to signify those who were executed.

• Australian War Memorial https://placesofpride.awm.gov.au/news/our-country-and-other-aboriginal-and-torr…