"Spotlight on Emirou"

More Corrections and Some New Details

MR. L. P. CRAGO is not correct in some of his contentions (“Spot light on Emirau,” May “PIM”.) Carl Leopold Bruno Wilde did not acquire Emirau Plantation through Expro- Board, but cut the bush and developed it into a plantation. He started it in Ger man times, of course. The home was built out of quila hardwood, cut on the place with pit saws. His original home was two-storeyed, and there was a sub stantial guest-house and other build ings.

The grave of his wife is worthy of comment. So far as I recollect, the in scription on the stone runs: “In Memory of my beloved wife, Juanita Wilde. Born February, 1890. Died June, 1926.” And under that; “I had a good comrade.”

I don’t think there was any German inscription, but the words quoted by Crago are from the old German marching song.

The stone was brought from Germany by Wilde, and when the place was sold an area surrounding the grave was sur veyed and was not sold, and new owners had to agree to always keep the grave in order.

Wilde lost the photo of his wife’s grave at Wau, on evacuation to Australia, and grieved over it. So, knowing this, I got an American Seabee friend of mine—a good photographer—to take some pic tures of the grave in 1944, and sent them along to CLBW. He was very appre ciative and an enlargement of the pic ture which he liked best hangs in his home to-day.

When the German raiders (3) called at Emirau in December, 1940—not No vember—they put ashore over 400 prisoners—survivors of 14 British ships sunk in the Pacific, The “Rangitane” was only one of them. Von Luckner was sup posed to have been in charge, and on the “Black Panther,” which lay off at some distance. I think it was the “Manio Manx” which landed the prisoners.

BEFORE they landed, a German officer came ashore and asked per mission (yes—he did) to land some prisoners. Mr. Charles Cooke was man ager at the time on Emirau for WRC,

and his wife was with him. They met the German party on the road. The Cookes have photos of the vessel men tioned. The Seventh Day man did not come on the scene until later.

The party of castaways that went to Kavieng negotiated with Mr. J. I.

Merrylees, who was in charge at the time. It was not Jerry McDonald. JIM sent the Government schooner out with medical and other supplies. He did a good job. I think it was the Rabaul authorities who diverted the Nellore to Emirau to pick up the stranded.

While the Germans were ashore on Emirau one of the officers asked Charles Cooke where the grave of the German lady was. When told, he took a detach ment of Marines there, and while they stood at attention, he—in front—read some passages from a Bible or prayer book. They then saluted the grave and withdrew.

It appears that this German had accompanied the Wildes there long ago on, I think, the occasion of Juanita’s arriving. He had been a supercargo on the German ship which landed them.

So, after many days, he returned to pay his respects.

When a paragraph was printed in the “Rabaul Times” about the rescue of the party, the local censor saw fit to blot out the portion of the story dealing with the incident at the grave. It was accord ingly blacked out before the paper was circulated. A local schooner-master, a half-caste German, showed the paper to me, saying, “This made people to think what it might be—but if you hold it, so —in the sun—then you will read it quite plainly.” And so you could!

Incidentally, Wilde’s coffee was con sidered to be the best ever imported into Australia. He supplied it to Governor- General Lord Gowrie, who is said to have loved it. Wonder where present G-G Billy McKell gets his coffee?

WITH reference to Mr. Charles Cooke —things have always happened to him. He was a stockman in North Queensland in his youth; then he was in Persia with Anglo-Persian Oil, and was with the American Fruit Co. in South America. South America was “a bit wild,” he told me.

Charles is keen on agriculture, and showed me some pictures taken while he was living in South America. Hand ing them to me he remarked that one could see how luxuriantly the bananas, etc., grew. I said, yes, but why were all those men sleeping around in the fore ground?.

Charlie looked at the picture again and said, “Oh, those are dead bandits!

They had made a raid and the mess hadn’t been cleaned up when the pic ture was taken. But look at those banana plants in front. Wonderful growth, I reckon, don’t you?”

I am, etc.,

Buka, NG.

June 27.

Fpa.

Death of Mrs. Florence Scott

rjIHE death occurred on July 4 of Mrs.

X Florence Eugene Scott, widow of Mr.

Richard Scott, of Suva, and the mother of Mrs. Rhoda Coote. of Killara, Sydney, but formerly of Rabaul. Mrs.

Scott had been in ill-health for some time prior to her death, and her passing was peaceful.

The late Mrs. Scott had not lived in Fiji for some years, but had spent some time with her daughter in pre-war years, at Rabaul, and previously with her son, the late Hugh Scott, at Faisi, in the BSI.

Mr. Alec McLean, of Bulolo, arrived in Sydney by air from the New Guinea goldfields, in July, on furlough.