Men Of Aib

Two Omissions from List

A CORRESPONDENT has pointed out that there are at least two omis sions from the list of men of the Allied Intelligence Bureau which was published in this journal in December, and described as complete. The two names are: W/O Victor Neumann Peter Kutis.

According to the records, Neumann did an extraordinarily good job in the dan gerous waters around New Britain dur ing 1942, as skipper of the 24-tons motor boat “Umboi.” He was associated with A. K. Smith, “Blue” Harris, Lincoln Bell and other men whose feats in penetrat ing Jap-held territory at that time, keep ing tab on the Japs and rescuing civilians and Servicemen, made history. Neumann was mentioned in despatches. In 1943, he was transferred to ANGAU, and was with that organisation until he obtained his discharge recently.

Peter Kutis was a man of Czecho slovak nationality, and came from the staff of the Catholic Mission at Sek. He was sent to a job on the “Umboi,” under Neumann, and he shared in all the re markable exploits of “Umboi” during 1942. He went away south, to some other service, early in 1943, and his la4er activities and present whereabouts are unknown.

The AIB was not fully organised until 1943-44, and that may explain the omis sion of names of men who served in 1942.

When Captain “Blue” Harris left Lae in February, 1942, in the “Umboi,” to rescue Europeans from the north coast of New Britain, he had with him 11 duly attested men of the NGVR. The job was completed some five or six weeks later, and the 11 were free to return, if they wished. Only three volunteered to remain with Captain Harris on the very risky Work of espionage—G. A. Obst, A.

P. H. Freund, and Victor Neumann. Obst was killed by Japs late in 1942, when carrying out a dangerous patrol in the Cape Gloucester region with A. K. Smith and W. A. H. Butteris. Butteris also was killed, but Smith escaped.

Additions and Corrections

A MEMBER of the AIB has sent us the following corrections and addi tions to the list of AIB men, pub lished in the “PIM” of December: Bengough, Lieut.-Col. C. N. F.; and Clemens, Major W—They were not mem bers of the AIB. They belonged to the Solomon Islands Administration and, un like their colleague, Major Kennedy, they never actually came under the command of the Supervising Intelligence Officer.

Colley, W/Q2. Don. —His name should be added. He joined early in 1945, after serving in Africa and New Guinea.

Train, Lieut. G. H. C.—Killed early in 1943.

Stephenson, Capt. G. —Killed in 1943.

Fay, F/Lieut. L. P. —Awarded MC in World War I.

The heading, “Served Prior to April, 1943,” is misleading. Many of the men shown as having served between April, 1943, and 1945, actually served' before the beginning of 1943. For instance, Waddell, Josselyn, Seton and Keenan were out on this work in 1942.

Some men whose names are not in the published list are claiming that they were members of the AIB, but they can not stand up to close questioning by the “old hands.”