Stories

We were sleeping in the cargo holds on top of our equipment and those in our hold were sleeping on cases of live ammunition.  There was only a bare 6’ to the steel deck above and were packed in each sleeping touching the next person. No bed or palliase just a tarp over the false floor. Altogether there were nearly six hundred men on board. Our mobile kitchen was strapped to rails on top deck, latrines were a row of open holes along one side of the ship which were hosed very frequently to clean the area. A wet bum if you were there when the 4” hoses were turned on. 

At long last we saw the mooring lines being thrown off and we drifted away into the river. It was a strange feeling seeing the stretch of water between you and land and made you wonder where we were bound for and if we would see good old Aussie again. 

We moved to the mouth of Brisbane river and stayed there all day before joining several other boats on a dash up the coast to try and get behind the protection of Barrier Reef before daylight. 

We sailed up the coast to Townsville where we waited while another unit was loaded on board. Imagine my surprise when one of the first on board was my next door neighbour from home Bruce Jackson. 

We sailed up inside the reef for several days and awoke one morning to find ourselves in open sea with patrol boats and destroyers sailing busily up and around the convoy which now consisted of about 20 ships. We were now given boat drill and ship evacuation drill as there was submarine activity and we were in the coral sea. 

Once in the open sea we all were a jittery mob and every lump of flotsam or old coconuts were considered to be subs, quite funny when you stop and think back about it. 

Also when boat drill was on everybody was ordered below deck if an aircraft or ship alert was given. On these occasions two men were stationed at the top of each ladder. We were housed in the rear hold and straight above us was mounted a 4” gun.  One day I and a mate were doing the guard duty when they decided to fire the gun. When it went off we both took off. I leapt down the six or so steps and landed in a heap at the bottom much to the delight and laughter of all the troops below.  The idea of the guard was to make sure nobody left the hole during attack. 

Life on board ship was very relaxed. All you wore was a pair of shorts or togs and a hat because of the heat.

We eventually arrived at Milne Bay where we saw the first where we saw our first evidence of the horrors of war. Broken palm trees wrecked buildings and sunken ships. A real sobering thought which brought a wall of silence over the whole ship. 

From Milne Bay we proceeded up the coast past Buna and Goodenough Island to anchor at Lae. We had taken eleven days to get there, fortunately incident free. On the 28th of January we pulled into Lae wharf eleven months after having joined up and the beginning of a 20 month tour of duty in the area. 

The afternoon before unloading at Lae we were issued with two tins of Bully Beef and half a dozen dog biscuits – Hard dry biscuits about 1/2” thick and 3” square and told that was our rations for the next 48 hours. 

Next morning we were alongside wharf at Lae but discovered that the unloading ladders were too short because it was high tide and we were 4’ short with the ladders. Carpenters quickly constructed extension steps and we were disembarked straight onto motor trucks for 22 mile trip to Nadzab.