The Pacific Drama

Stories of Lucky Escapes

STORIES of dramatic escapes from the Japanese invaders continue to come in from all parts of New Guinea and the Solomons.

Probably the happiest incident is re ported by refugees from Rabaul. A well known copra vessel, of small tonnage, nosed her way into Rabaul Harbour, when Rabaul was being blitzed—evidently with a view to giving what help was possible to the civilian population.

She was still there on Thursday morn ing, January 22, by which time many Japanese aircraft were dropping bombs, most civilians had been evacuated to the westward, and a Japanese invasion fleet of 11 vessels was coming down from the north.

The captain, who appears to have dis played great courage and resource, made preparations to escape from the harbour with civilian refugees and important records before the Jap. vessels arrived. He took aboard the manager of the Common wealth Bank, and the manager and ac countant of the Bank of NSW, together with their invaluable and irreplaceable records.

As the little ship proceeded south, it became a question of whether they would meet the Japanese fleet off Blanche Bay, as the Japs came round Praed Point.

Just when it seemed certain that the escaping vessel would be attacked by either Jap. planes or Jap. warships, a great rain-storm came up, and blotted out sea and sky. The Australian captain held grimly and honefully on his course, and when *the weather cleared there was no enemy in sight, and the little ship safely reached an Australian port.

They Beach-Hopped To Safety

In Ancient Crate

AN extraordinary feat was performed between January 21 and February 8 by M. Blackman, a Guinea Airways pilot, and Bernard Parer, gold prospector (and brother of Ray Parer, famous flier, and Kevin Parer, well-known airman, recently killed by the Japs at Salamaua) when they escaped from New Guinea in what is described as “a derelict Gypsy Moth plane”.

Blackman, 34, remained at Lae when Japs destroyed the place on January 21.

Two days later, Pilot Fred. Price, of Mandated Airlines, dropped into Lae un expectedly and Blackman got a lift with him to Wau.

Guinea Airways staff had gone from Wau and the 15-years-old Moth was ap parently abandoned. Blackman overhauled and fuelled the machine and flew out to Slate Creek, where he picked up Parer.

These two typical Australians, with some iron rations and the “ancient crate”, whose top speed was only 75 miles, whose ceiling was 6,000 ft. (which prevented

them from crossing the central ranges) and whose fuel capacity of 19 gallons limited them to a range of 180 miles, then started out to “beach-hop” to Australia.

Incredible as it may appear, they got around the coasts of New Guinea and Papua as far as Daru; then they flew across narrow Torres Strait to Horne Island; after that they picked the Aus tralian mainland near the top of Cape York Peninsula and beach-hopped down the long coast to Townsville—a total distance of about 1,500 miles.

They used beaches as airfields prac tically all the way, and they modestly admit that they were “lucky” in that they picked up petrol in all sorts of un expected places. In one place, they had to fly over a range 7,000 ft. high, and they say they “scraped the tree-tops”. They arrived in Townsville on February 8.

Escape From Solomons

ABOUT January 22, when a Japanese plane bombed a port in the Solomon Islands, a three hundred tons copra and trading vessel was lying in the port.

The plane aimed a bomb at the vessel, which fell close and this was the first the crew knew of the enemy’s attack.

They lost no time in getting under way —and the Jap followed the vessel, diving low and machine-gunning it.

The vessel zig-zagged madly, and the plane could not score a direct hit—and then, according to the officers of the ship (which reached an Australian port safely) “an Allied plane arrived and kept the Jap. busy”.