Anniversary of Fall

of Rabaul

THE anniversary of the invasion of Rabaul by the Japanese on January 23, 1942 was commemorated in Sydney and Rabaul with early morning services in memory of those who lost their lives then or subsequently.

Although it is inevitable that, as the years pass—nine of them in the case of this anniversary—many fall out, and perhaps forget, this year’s gathering in Sydney of the New Guinea folk (the Montevideo Maru widows, friends of the fallen, Rabaul NGVR survivors and their brothers-in arms, the 22nd Battalion A IF) was larger than for some years.

It was organised by the New Guinea Ex-Servicemen’s Club of Sydney and the local NG sub-branch of the RSL, with the co-operation of the New Guinea Women’s Club. It has, in the past, been the custom of those interested to gather in Martin Place and then silently place their flowers upon the Cenotaph. This year the men gathered in Pitt Street and, led by flag-bearers, marched up Martin Place to the Cenotaph, where they were joined by the women. After the wreaths were placed in position, there was a two minutes’ silence, followed bv the Last Post played by a bugler.

It is easy to be cynical about such gatherings. There is, however, some com munity of spirit in them that affects all but the emotionally blunted. There was none of that mass hysteria among these people that prompts the teenage brats of Sydney to sleep on the post-office steps on Anzac eve, in order to attend the Dawn Service. There were few, if any, young people there at all. They were a sober

fcrew—but it was a sober occasion, and all had memories.

A SMALL gathering of the faithful met at the Colyer Watson wharf in Rabaul on the Sunday preceding January 23. Tn the past there have been two gatherings—one at Vulcan, where a small concrete memorial has been erected, and another at the wharf. Each year there have been complaints about the state of the road to the Vulcan memorial (this is at the spot where the NGVR and units of the 22nd. Battalion met the full force of the Jap invasion in 1942), and this year, Authority said that the road had reached the impassable stage, there fore there would be only the dawn service at the wharf.

Those who attended met silently and placed their tributes on the small memorial which marks the spot from which the ill-fated Montevideo Maru set sail.

Miss Dorothy Stewart prepared three large flower crosses for the New Guinea women’s associations in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. The other wreaths were placed on the stone by District Officer J.

K. McCarthy, for the Administration; Sub-Inspector C. Normoyle, for the Police; Mr. Smythe, for the RSSAILA; and Mr.

B. Ryan, for Burns Philp (NG) Ltd. Mr.

Bill Burke, of Burns Philp staff, placed on the memorial a personal floral tribute to departed comrades.