Stories

After 5 months at Nadzab several of us were suddenly posted to other units. I was posted to 4 works unit at Goodenough Island. I flew in a DC3 to Milne Bay transferred to another DC3 which had two engines as cargo. Took off and I was joined by a L A C King just arrived from Sydney. He said on the way over that somewhere in New Guinea his father was with the RAAF and was in his mid forty years. 

After a very rough trip because we ran into thunderstorms we landed on Goodenough and conveyed by truck to the unit and told to go to a certain tent. Imagine the surprise and excitement when we went to the tent and King found his father there. 

I was only at this camp for a few days when we embarked on a liberty boat bound for Finschhafen. We stood offshore at Finch and were unloaded into a landing barge. We went over the side of the boat on single rope ladders. When you reached the bottom of ladder you hung on till the barge and boat came together. You let go the ladder and landed in the barge. Our kitbags came down four at a time on a single rope. Those dropping had to judge when the two were together. They missed with one drop of bags between the[boat and barge]and as they came together it cut the rope so 4 of the boys were minus all their gear. It was good when we landed on beach and one of the worst experiences I had whilst in active service. 

I was with 4 ACS and 480 BU for some months building storage sheds. Then I joined Northern Command Works unit constructing No 10 Stores depot. It was a huge complex covering 3 or 4 acres we never did get to finish as the war moved towards the Phillipines with such rapid speed that it was soon bypassed with parts etc required one or two thousand kilometres away. Christmas came upon us and we all shared or pooled our official issues with several smaller units and had a huge party. I do not know where it came from but a piano appeared. We had a chap in our unit who always showed no interest in anything. As he walked into the mess that night he spotted the piano walked over placed his mess tray gear on top of it sat down and touched one or two notes amongst some very derisive comments from the boys. He then launched into “Pack up your troubles” and “Long way to Tipperary”. So began a 2 to 3 hours session of music song and drink. He played all types of popular music through to classics and we certainly had a terrific time. He disclosed later that he had diplomas from Edinburgh University and Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

When on service you never knew who your bedmates were and although only a small unit we had men from company executives to run of the mill labourers and tradesmen to ex-crims and one or two on the run from the law. 

We were a completely independent unit and had several sporting teams and competed inter-unit mostly against the Yanks as there were very few Aussie units left in the area. In the area we had several men at the top of their ladder. Will Slattery and Herb Narvo Australian and State boxing champs. Narvo also first grade football for Newtown (Sydney club) and several players who were playing AFL in Melbourne first grade. In our cricket team we had Bill Brown international cricketeer and still alive living in Brisbane. 

Beside working 10 hours a day 6 days a week we had travelling camp concerts, swimming in the bay and fishing for a change of diet. We take a power barge out to the reef, spot a school of fish, throw in a block of dynamite and hey presto jump overboard and retrieve a good feed of fish. It was a change from tinned beef and fish. 

With the war front moving swiftly to the north they started to wind down construction work and time hung on our hands quite a bit. It was at this stage that my health let me down with six weeks in hospital a touch of Malaria – then impetigo – then a severe bout of Dengue fever. 

When I reported back to the unit the CO said I should be sent home as I had 19 months of tropical service when usual term was 15 months. 

He arranged my posting home but as the big push had started on the Phillipines and northern islands I had 10 days before getting a plane out as we were bypassed and all planes were being passed through Darwin. Eventually we were flown out, 20 of us all told on a Yank Douglas Ventura en route to Adelaide. We were a mixed bunch of RAAF and AIF personnel.  

[This is the end of the hand written notes I have]