Horrors In Wrecked Rabaul

Australians Are Now Trying to Restore Order

From a Special Correspondent

rE story of what happened inside Rabaul, after the Jap occupation in January, 1942, still has to be told.

The little that already has been pub lished indicates a long series of atrocities and horrors.

Australian Forces have been in occupa tion of Rabaul since September 10, but singularly little has been published to describe either the Jap occupation or the Australian reoccupation.

Major Edmonds-Wilson, commander of the tiny Kavieng garrison of 150 men, has told how he got his men away from Kavieng in a schooner, but they were captured by Japs and taken to Rabaul.

He was there until he was shipped away to Japan at the end of June, 1942. He was liberated lately in Japan, and he told a reporter that atrocities during the first few days of the Jap occupation of Rabaul were indescribable. He could hear the screams of crazed women while the drunken Japs went from house to house raping, looting and killing.

This doubtless refers to the Japanese looting of Rabaul’s Chinatown. The Japs treated the Chinese community, especi ally the women, with fearful cruelty.

IT appears that after the Australian soldiers and civilians were shipped away from Rabaul, in June, 1942 (the most of whom were never heard of again) the Japs brought to Rabaul 600 surrendered British soldiers from Singa pore, and forced them to dig the in numerable tunnels with which the steep hillsides around Rabaul are now honey combed. They arrived in October. 1942. when the Japs were confident they could hold Rabaul, and use it as a base against Australia.

Of the 600, onlv 18 survived—thev were liberated when the AIF went into Rabaul —and they were badly diseased. Sixty four died in Rabaul from disease and malnutrition, and 517 were drowned on a ship in Rabaul Harbour when shipping there was attacked by American planes.

Later, the Japs took 80 American soldier-prisoners into Rabaul, but their fate is not clear. One report indicates that a number of them were flown from Rabaul to Tokio after Rabaul surren dered. * From about the middle of 1943, Jap communications between Japan and Rabaul were seriously interrupted, and the Rabaul Japs were thrown on their own resources. From then on, the prisoners were forced to live on meagre rations of locally-grown vegetables.

What remained of the town of Rabaul seems to have been finally wiped out by a terrific Allied air raid on March 2. 1944. It continued for the better part of 24 hours, destroyed the town and the harbour shipping, and killed large num bers of Japs. In reprisal, the Japs fol lowed their usual practices, and tortured and killed their prisoners.

Meagre and disconnected reports from Rabaul indicate that large numbers of Australian troops now are encamped in or near the town, and that the Japs are being compelled to provide much of the labour for restoring the road« and streets, and removing the jungle growth which had been taking possession of the ruined town.

It is also indicated that a proportion of the Rabaul Chinese—about 850—are encamped some 20 miles out of Rabaul.

There were about 1,200 in Rabaul when the invasion occurred.

HMAS “MANOORA” was undergoing overhaul at Garden Island, Sydney, when orders were received that she had to be completed and ready for sea by a certain date.

Miraculously, jobs were completed, stores and ammunition came aboard, crew recalled from leave began to report, fuming at the cut in their leave; and, on the day ordered, we left Garden Island, swung compasses and, in the afternoon, slipped through Sydney Heads and headed north.

We were bound for Jacquinot Bay, New Guinea and thence Madang. But, two days out, we received orders to embark troops and equipment, and lead the re occupation force into Rabaul.

Some days before our arrival the sur render had been signed in Rabaul Har bour on HMS “Glory,” an aircraft-carrier of the British Pacific Fleet. Following the surrender, HMAS “Shepparton,” hydrographic survey ship, HMAS “Re serve,” and the AMS’s “Kiama,” “Dubbo,”

“Lithgow,” and “Townsville” had been busy locating and “danning” our own and Japanese minefields and sweeping a channel clear of mines, pending our ar rival.

HMAS “Vefidetta,” immediately after the surrender, had brought out to Jac quinot Bay a number of European ex- POW for hospital treatment, and onward air passage to the mainland.

The transport SS “Katoomba” joined us and, after completion of embarking troops and equipment, we sailed in con voy with HMAS “Vendetta” as escort.

Numerous Army small-craft, fully laden, had already left in order to reach the rendezvous on schedule.

WE reached the rendezvous in the early morning of September 10 and as soon as all ships had taken station HMAS “Vendetta” followed by HMAS “Manoora” led the squadron into

Simpson Harbour, with air-cover pro vided by RNZ Air Force Corsairs.

The peaks of the Mother and Daugh ter were veiled with fleecy clouds, and at the base of each could be seen some of the extensive gardens laid out by the Japanese.

The scenic beauty of Simpson Harbour unfolded as we made our way slowly to our anchorage. Matupi had been active, and wisos of steam were rising from the crater, vents and fissures as we passed.

Vulcan looked quite serene. His slopes now are about three-quarters covered with vegetation.

The Japanese in the Rabaul area were known to exceed 83.000; and, in the eyes of the civilian population of Japan, were heroes who had protected and delayed the occupation of the Homeland. These were the men who said they would fight on to the end, even if Japan proper sur rendered.

There was an inward questioning as to what reception we might get, as our force was tiny compared with theirs. One felt the jLT?h n /nkM e thlt S w°e t were^ irm to make a landing under the hail of flre wh“h would havl greeted us if the invasion had taken place a few weeks 0610 WF anchored about half-a-mile from and the Naval Port Director and senior Army officers -| y 'who 6 wCTe W A t tThe on wha?f towards the now non- At the * -Rahnul the remainder ep s tort Rabaul. toe 5 f the Japanese leit m ne drawn up Th ese Tuards for t6 Obviously, the two envoys representing the Japanese Army and Navy, respectively, were less antagonistic to us than they were to each other, but the negotia-

“3? K"Sult barges were

being rapidly loaded with troops and equipment, and soon the J wave was heading for the beach-head, where a base was quickly established. annalline Japanese transport was m an condition. But our Army men soon took over trucks and cars, and then a con tinuous stream of traffic commenced to flow to the various bases being set up.

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went on with the job* , natives

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looked on P w"to elpr a e r slionle S s tl tlce d s UmPS The news cameraman who had accompanied us had a marvellous outing. Just how much film he used is his own pn-

vate secret; but, by now, you will have seen the fruits of his efforts in the news reels. rnHE whole shore line ol Simpson Har- X hour is littered with bombed, gut ted and burnt-out ships some half on tota* „ "Tfunneis showing here and there. a very effective job had been done by our Air Force, as the results showed.

There were a few ships of varying sizes,

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sion that it was, wrecked and useless A midget submarine and a small float tQ the collec tion. y plane as m good order, hav ine been used by the Japanese to bring Bay.

EN had comp i e ted disembarking VV n t and sto res, we had an op- Tf £ o °^ ity of going as hore and tak ing stock of toe area which we were t^e y£ a rs that the Japanese have n t R y baul it is estimated that 283 been m «J nnels and under ground work ings were constructed. Many of the underground workshops, stores and air quarters were on a large In e ff e ct they went underground sc . in ® done in so many other naVe Rabaul Club' concrete foundation posts,

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"As T’have said, toe rqads were very bad indeed Down neat the wharf .you can see the , gutted and holed fuel-oil tanks on their sides, toe twisted frame

work of the cargo sheds and the rusty cantilever crane, with a twisted girder here and there.

One thing that impressed us was the very extensive vegetable gardens which had been laid out by the Japanese. It is estimated that they planted 15,000 acres of garden for food supplies. Many of these gardens were between the foun dations of the old homes.

We obtained a supply of fresh fruits and sweet potatoes, which were welcome additions to our table.

OBVIOUSLY, the Japanese had plan ned Rabaul as a major base of operations and the starting point for the invasion of Australia. Under ground stores and workshops were full of all kinds of equipment, and there were large ammunition dumps contain ing all types of explosives and shells.

Amidst the undergrowth, along the fore shore, were dumps of aero engines, which had been “given the works” by our Air Force. The value of the equipment must run into a huge tteure.

The Japanese we saw looked very fit; and, whilst they saluted regularly and bowed and smiled, one was left with the very firm impression that whilst it suited them to be helpful and willing, unless they are kept down and watched very carefully indeed they will plan another war infinitely worse than this. We can not be too careful in the next few years to avoid lulling ourselves into a state of false security.

European, Indian and Indonesian prisoners-of-war were found —the Euro peans and Indonesians in reasonable health. The Indians (officers and men from Singapore) had a very bad time, and were very thin indeed. They were cheerful, and awfully pleased to see us.

Most of the ex-residents of Rabaul, captured by the Japanese, had been ship ped to prison-camps in Japan Whether Rabaul will be rebuilt and return to its former importance m Island life is a matter depending on Government pcflicy and further volcanic activity. At present, the Island will re main under Army and ANGAU control as it will be some time before the Japan ese POW’s can be cleared out.

Before leaving Rabaul on our second voyage, we embarked some hundreds of cheering and singing Indonesians for transportation to the Dutch East Indies.

They had made their own musical in struments in the prison-camps and, at a concert they gave us, one felt the joy and relief they felt as they sang and played Hawaiian and Indonesian songs and music. This was a concert of thanks and gratitude, as they expressed them selves, to repay the kindness extended to them in the ship, where a collection of all articles of use—tobacco, razor blades, toothpaste, etc., etc—had been quickly made. When they were dis embarked at their various ports it was a pleasure to see the welcome given them by the local residents, and reunions be tween relatives was not an uncommon sight.

Mrs. A. Smoothey, wife or Mr. A.

Smoothey, of Suva, Fiji, died in Glasgow, Scotland, on September 20.

To the many friends and fellow-officers of the Hon. George Murray, MLC, Direc tor of Agriculture, Territory of New Guinea (missing since the Japanese in vasion of Rabaul)—Thank you foryour kind messages and your expressions of concern on behalf of my dear husband. I shall reply to these numerous messages as soon as possible.—HELEN MURRAY, 16 Warialda Street, Kirribilli, Sydney.