Roll Of Honour
pp. 22-23 · Read in the full issue
(It is hoped to assemble, here, the names of men, former residents of the Pacific Territories, which appear in British and Free French casualty lists, or in lists of honours awarded.
We should be grateful if relations and friends would send us details.)
Killed
Pilot-Officer Len BAYLISS, flying instructor in the RAAF, formerly of Rabaul, New Guinea.
Killed in Sydney, 18/11/1940, when he fell from a trainer aircraft in flight.
A/Bdr, Neville W. BERTWISTLE, AIF artillery (tank unit), formerly a clerk on the staff of W. R. Carpenter and Co., Ltd,, of Rabaul, New Guinea. Killed in action, April, 1941, Flight-Lieutenant G. J. I. CLARKE, of the RAAF, formerly Assistant Flight Superintendent of Carpenter Airways, New Guinea. Killed in action during operations off Dakar (French West Africa), while attached to HMAS “Aus tralia”, September, 1940.
Flying-Officer Jack R. COATH, of the RNZAF, formerly on the staff of the Bank of New Zealand, in Suva, Fiji. Killed October, 1941, when a training aircraft crashed in NZ.
Pte. Felix CRAIG, AIF, formerly of accounts department, Australasian Petroleum Co., Port Moresby, Papua. Reported killed, June, 1941.
Observer V. L. DEARMAN, of the RAAF, for merly overseer and clerk at the Colonial Sugar Refining Co., Ltd., Rarawai, Fiji. Reported killed in action in the Middle East, October 1941.
Captain Kenneth GARDEN, of the RAP Ferry Command, formerly chief pilot of Guinea Air ways Ltd., in New Guinea. Killed, 2/9/1941, when the bomber he flew from USA crashed on west coast of Britain.
Flying-Officer Moresby GOFTON, of the RAF, son of Mrs, F. S. Stewart, of Wau, New Guinea.
Reported missing, 17/5/1940 —now presumed killed in action.
Pte. Wallace GRAHAM, of the NZ Forces (infantry), formerly on the staff of Morris Hedstrom Ltd., Fiji. Killed in action in the Middle East, November, 1941.
Flying-Officer Alan JOHNSTONE, of the RAF, who was born in Suva, Fiji, in 1915. Killed in action during bombing raid on Kristiansand, Norway, April, 1940.
Pte. L. F. McCarthy, AIF infantry, form erly supercargo on W. R. Carpenter and Co.’s
Inter-island vessels “Desikoko” and “Mako”, in New Guinea. Reported “wounded in action and missing—believed prisoner of war”, 15/7/1941; reported “killed in action” in Syria, 30/10/1941’.
Cpl. Alex. C. SCOTT, AIF, formerly manager at Kieta, TNG, for Burns, Philp and Co.. Ltd.
Killed in action in the Middle East, 19/6/1941.
Pte. Popoare TANGIITI, of the NZ Forces (Maori Battalion), formerly of Mangaia, Cook Islands. Reported “missing after Battle of Greece—presumed dead”, July, 1941.
Died From Wounds
Pte. Ernest HENRY, AIF, formerly of the Rabaul (NG) staff of Burns, Philp and Co., Ltd. Died from wounds received in Battle of Crete, 1/6/1941.
Pte. Walter PEARSON, of first NG quota of AIF (infantry). Died from wounds received in action, 24/6/1941.
A/Bdr. W. R. SCOTT, AIF, of New Guinea.
Died from wounds, July, 1941.
Sergeant-Pilot Peter Clarkson WISE, of the RAF, son of Mr. W. Wise, OBE, Director of Public Works, Fiji. Died from wounds received during bombing raid over Germany, January, 1941.
Died From Illness
Pte. Clarence A. HUTTON, ATP, formerly of Edie Creek, New Guinea. Died from Illness April, 1941.
Major P. J. WOODHILL, AIF infantry, formerly legal assistant in the Crown Law Office, Rabaul, New Guinea. Reported “deceased”, December, 1941.
Missing
Pilot John CLARK, of the RAAF, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Clark, of Rabaul, New Guinea.
Reported missing, 1/11/1941, after an operational flight, in the Middle East.
Pilot Tom PATTERSON, of the RNZAF, formerly of Levuka, Fiji. Reported missing, in November, 1941, after bombing raid on the Continent.
Gnr. Allan H. ROSS, AIF artillery, formerly planter in New Britain, TNG. Reported missing —believed prisoner of war, 28/9/1941.
Pte. William RUPE, of the NZ Forces (Maori Battalion), formerly of Aitutaki, Cook Islands.
Reported “missing after Battle of Greece”, July, 1941.
Pilot James SIMPSON, of the RAF, formerly of Vatukoula, Fiji. Reported missing after air
operations over Malta, in the Mediterranean, 1/7/1941.
Pilot-Officer Neville George STOKES, of the RAF, formerly a pilot with Guinea Airways, Ltd., in New Guinea. Reported missing follow ing air operations over enemy territory in Europe, December, 1941.
Wounded
Pte. V. BLANCO, AIP infantry, of Thursday Island. Reported wounded In action, 8/7/1941, L/Cpl. J. P. BLENCOWE, AIF Infantry, of Rabaul. TNG. Reported wounded In action, 15/7/1941.
Pte. Thomas BYERS, AIF infantry, of Thurs dav Island. Reported wounded in action, May, 1941.
Pte. John GHANT, AIF infantry, of New Guinea. Reported wounded in neck and thigh, 21/9/1941; later, reported “rejoined unit”.
Sgt. C. HENDRICK, AIP infantry, of Rabaul, TNG. Reported wounded in action, 15/7/1941.
Stanley HIGGS, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Higgs, of W. R. Carpenter and Co.. Ltd., well known in New Guinea. Member of an English Lancers’ regiment, wounded during British evacuation from Dunkirk (France), May, 1940.
Lieut. Lloyd T. HURRELL, AIF infantry, of Rabaul, TNG. Reported “wounded In action, remaining on duty”, 29/7/1941.
Cpl. W. H. LANNEN, AIP artillery, of Rabaul, New Guinea. Reported "wounded in action— on seriously ill list, 30/6/1941; removed from seriously 111 list. 25/7/1941”.
Gnr. E. G. LOBAN, AIP artillery, of Thursday Island, wounded during Greek campaign, May, 1941. Invalided home after having his left forearm amputated.
Capt. Edward Tiwi LOVE. NZ Maori Battalion, husband of Mrs. Takau Rio Love. Arlki-nul of Rarotonga. Cook Islands. Reported missing dur ing Greek campaign, 27/5/1941; later, 22/6/1941, reported “wounded and safe”.
Cpl. R. McKERLIE. AIF, of Yandina, BSI, wounded in face by bomb explosion, April, 1941.
A/Sgt. Alastalr MACLEAN, AIP Infantry, of Rabaul, New Guinea. Wounded In action, in Libya. 30/6/1941.
S/Sgt. Graham B. MLRFIELD, AIP engineers, of Rabaul, New Guinea. Wounded in action, 16/7/1941.
Pte. L. G. (“Mick”) REECE, of Bulolo, New Guinea. Wounded in action with AIF, July, 1941.
A/Cpl. N. K. SAWYER, AIP infantry, of Rabaul, TNG. Reported wounded in action, 22/7/1941.
Pte, Lance STAMPER, AIP, formerly school master at Wau, New Guinea. Reported wounded in action. August, 1941.
Pte. Harold G. TURNER. AIP, of Samaral, Eastern Papua. Wounded in action at Bardia (Libya), January, 1941.
Pte. P. D. TWISS, ALP infantry, of New Guinea. Reported wounded in action, August, 1941.
Prisoners Of War
A/Cpl, Peter W. BOSGARD, AIP Infantry, formerly of the Lands Department, Port Moresby, Papua. Reported prisoner of war at Sulmona, Italy, 29/6/1941; transferred to Bolzano prison camp, September, 1941.
A/Sgt. A. A. S. COTMAN, AIF infantry, of Abau, Papua. Reported missing—believed prisoner of war, 5/5/1941; reported later, July, 1941, “wounded in chest and head by shrapnel— taken prisoner”.
Pte. W. GOSSNER, AIF infantry, formerly of the BNG Development Co., Port Moresby, Papua.
Reported prisoner of war, Sulmona, Italy, 6/7/1941.
Gnr. A. L. B. KING, AIF artillery, of Rabaul, TNG. Reported prisoner of war, 29/7/1941.
A/Cpl. John H. LONERGAN, AIF, Supply and Transport, of New Guinea. Reported prisoner of war at Corinthia, Italy, 8/7/1941.
Observer Alex. McKAY, of the RAAF, formerly of the CSR Co.’s staff, at Penang sugar-mill, Fiji. Reported missing, 27/7/1941; reported prisoner of war in Italy, 26/10/1941.
Pte. Harry MARCHINGTON, of Fiji, serving with the NZ Forces in the Middle East. Reported prisoner of war 2/12/1941, after Battle of Crete.
Pte. John O. SMITH, of the NZ Forces, son of Captain Harry Smith, of “Tul Kauvaro”, and Mrs. Smith, of Suva, Fiji, Reported missing, 29/5/1941, after Battle of Crete; reported prisoner of war, 21/10/1541.
Pte. John D. WHITCOMBE, formerly of Levuka, Fiji, serving with the NZ Forces in the Middle East. Reported prisoner of war in Ger many, November, 1941.
Pte. Fred SWAN, NZ Army Medical Corps, formerly of Apia, Western Samoa. Reported August, 1941,. “missing after Battle of Crete”; reported November, 1941, “prisoner of war in Germany”.
Decorations
Sgt. Henry C. S. COTTON, of the RNZAF, who was born in Samoa (his father was Secre tary of Native Affairs during the NZ military occupation). Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Lieut. Colin HILL, RANK, of the Australian destroyer, “Waterhen”, formerly second officer on the trans-Pacific liner “Niagara”. Awarded OBE for salvaging a burning oil tanker near Suda Bay. Crete.
Flying-Officer James R. HYDE, of the RAP, formerly a Patrol Officer in Namatanai and Sepik Districts, TNG. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bombing raids on Heligoland Bight, in the North Sea.
Lieutenant-Commander A. W. R. McNICOLL, RAN, son of Sir Ramsay McNlcoll, Adminis trator of New Guinea, and Lady McNlcoll.
Awarded the George Medal “for gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty”.
Sgt. Geoffrey MOORE, of the RNZAF, for merly engineer on the NG inter-island vessel “Maiwara” and on the trans-Pacific liner “Aorangi”. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal.
Commander Alvord S. ROSENTHAL, RAN, son. of Major-General Sir Charles Rosenthal, KCB, CMG, DSO, VD, Administrator of Norfolk Island. Awarded the DSO for service in the Mediterranean.
Lieut. George Raymond WORLEDGE, of the RANVR, formerly of Fiji. Awarded the MBE (Military).
Private Wallace Graham
ONE of the first men to leave Fiji, upon the declaration of war in 1939, to enlist for service abroad, Private Wallace Graham, of the NZ Forces, was killed in action in the Middle East at the end of November. For many years he was a member of the staff of Morris, Hed strom Ltd., in Fiji. Originally, he was accepted by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and for a couple of months under went Air Force training, but later was rejected as medically unfit. Thereupon, he enlisted with the infantry section of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces and sailed for the Middle East. His parents live at Samabula, in Fiji, and his brother, lan Graham, is a Second- Lieutenant in the NZ Army.
By a recent order of the Joint Court of the New Hebrides, the islands of Tongoa, Tongariki, Buninga and Ewose in the Shepherd Group (Southern New Hebrides) have been declared “closed” districts. No person, other than a Government official, may visit them without first obtaining a licence from the Condominium Govern ment.