THEY sacrificed so that we can live in the peace and prosperity we enjoy today.

On Monday, we honour the efforts of men and women like Margaret Helen Henrietta Bell.

Born in Mossman in 1914, Margaret and her family moved to Proserpine four years later.

Margaret began her nursing training at Proserpine Hospital before her studies saw her move north to Charters Towers.

On November 7, 1941, she enlisted for service abroad as a nursing sister, training and working in Brisbane and Warwick.

With the 2/12th Australian General Hospital she departed Australia on the July 7, 1945, for Balakipapan, Borneo, to work in a forward battle area.

She remained in Borneo for 191 days, returning to Australia on January 13, 1946.

The Borneo campaign was the last major Allied campaign in the Second World War, with Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands doing battle against the Japanese.

The Allied troops suffered 8000 casualties, while the Japanese endured 10,000.

Following the surrender of the Japanese forces, the Australians were committed to occupation duties until February 1946.

On her return, Margaret married Harry Briskey, who served in the same unit as Henry Dray, and had a son.

Three months after his birth, Margaret passed away on September 15, 1947, in Greenslopes Military Hospital, Brisbane.

She is commemorated on the AIF Memorial Wall in the Mount Thompson Crematorium, Brisbane.