Missing Men Of

N. Guinea

Some Further Light on Their Fate

AN Australian officer , who was POW in Japan 1942-1945, wrote the follow ing in a private letter from Rabaul, dated August 23: I HAVE just seen a copy of the PIM of June, 1946, and I was surprised to note the following names shewn offici ally under “Missing—fate unknown”: DICKSON, J. F. At Manila, on my way back to Australia in September, 1945, I submitted an official notification of death, stating that this man died of dysentery in the prison camp at Rabaul in March, 1942. I understand that a similar statement was supplied by Chap lain J. L. May, AIF, who conducted the burial service. On my return to Aus tralia I met Mrs. Dickson and conveyed the sad news to her personally.

WILLMETT, W. P. This man was definitely of the party which left Mala guna Prison Camp on 22nd June, ’42, to join what I understand was the “Monte video Maru.” His name was included in the list of civilians supplied by me on reaching Manila, and the same informa tion was conveyed officially to Sydney in October, 1945.

A good portion of my first two weeks in Australia was spent in going from department to department, calling on firm after firm, people after people, doing my small best to clean up some of the clouds obscuring the fate of the Rabaul folk, and it is more than disap pointing to find that even now such glaring mistakes are still being made.

With regard to the following, I can understand them shown as “fate un known,” as my information only showed the position in 1942: Bachman, Badger, Beaumont, Chaun cey, Evensen, Fitzgibbon, Korn, Sher wood and Ostrom (initials unknown) were left behind at Malaguna Camp when AIF officers were moved out to Japan, in July, 1942.

Harvey, Mrs. Harvey and son, Manson and Parker were brought to the Mala guna camp for a few days about May, 1942; then taken from the camp, and we did not see them again, but were told by the Japanese that they had been executed for espionage.

Merrell, A.—Could this be J. F. Morel, who joined up with the Ist Indep. Co. when they endeavoured to make their getaway from New Ireland in the “In duna Star,” was captured with them, and was also in the “Montevideo Maru” party?

The above information was also con veyed to officialdom —not once, but sev eral times, either in Manila, Sydney or Melbourne.