The Editors' Mailbag

Hermits Wreck —

True Version

IN January PIM (page 114) was told a widely accepted story of the old wreck that lies on a reef at the N-W entrance to the Hermit Atoll, centre of Heinrich Rudolph Wahlen’s pre-World War I “business empire”, north of New Guinea.

Mr. Wahlen, writing himself from Hamburg, says that the story was more fancy than fact; he gives some interesting details of what actually happened. His letter reads in part: “The name of the steamer was Herzog Johann Albrecht and it be longed to the New Guinea Co. . . . and was named after the then Presi dent of the Deutsche Kolonialgesell schaft in Berlin. At that time I was still with Hemsheim & Co. and the wreck happened before 1900.

Hemsheim's sailing schooner Welcome, about 80 tons . . . having left the Ninigos with a full load of beche-de-mer for the Hermits, stranded early in the morning . . near Mono Island.

After the cargo was saved the crew and supercargo remained on Mono whilst Captain Buck sailed in a ship’s boat to Madang for help.

The New Guinea Co. at once des patched the Herzog Johann Albrecht and, reaching the N-W passage early in the morning, the captain was blinded by the sun and the vessel touched the reef . . . and shortly after a heavy roller swept them right up on the reef.

When the bad news reached Madang the North German Lloyd sent a message to rescue both crews.

“When I established myself in the Hermits in 1902 the great N-W pas sage was flanked by two great water marks” says Mr. Wahlen “and these marks, together with the electric lights of the Wahlenburg (home stead) facilitated in a large way the entrance to the harbour, even by night.”

Inquiry From Colorado

THIS is from a former Yank soldier: “Can you put me in touch with a Robin McKay or Alistair Mac Lean, or an old rascal named Bill Money, a gold-miner, all of whom I knew in New Britain during the war in 1944? *1 was a platoon leader in the 185th Infantry of the 40th Division then, and used to run patrols from

Talasea, on the Willaumez Peninsula, via PT Boat and LCM, up to Ula moma and Open Bay. They were Allied Intelligence Bureau scouts (first two) and Money was the ALB Liaison officer with our regiment.

“Last I heard from McKay, he was in Bougainville running a plantation.

Mac Lean probably is back in Rabaul, and Money is at Kavieng. Old Bill, by the way, claims to have fired Errol Flynn off his plantation at Kavieng.”

The men named—all well-known to PlM—are invited to get in touch with Mr. James M. Flinchum, United Press Association, 650 150th St., Denver, Colorado, USA. Jim Flin chum is a well-known newspaper man. Maybe, he wants Bill Money to give him more details of that Errol Flynn story.

That Record Fish

A READER commenting on our April story of big-game fisher woman Mrs. Kathleen Hassall and her 5421 lb. black marlin, for which she was accorded women’s world re cord, says that it probably all hinges on the gear used. (We understood that Mrs. Caroline Guild, once of Tahiti, was unbeaten champion, be cause her black marlin, also landed in NZ, had been officially weighted as 823 pounds).

Mrs. Hassall’s fish was caught on a 49-thread line to comply with in ternational standards and our reader suggests that Mrs. Guild’s gear may be did not comply.

Such distinctions are probably im portant in the game-fishing world, but 823 pounds of black marlin seems a whale of a lot of fish to us, even if it had been caught with a clothes-line.

Feldt was there—in Mufti

THERE was rather a quaint side light at the ceremony in New stead Park, Brisbane, on May 3, when Queensland’s memorial to the American forces who landed there ten years ago, en route to the libera tion of New Guinea and the South Seas, was formally unveiled (says a correspondent).

General Eichelberger, an honoured guest, spoke briefly, modestly and impressively. He praised the services rendered by Australian servicemen, and he especially mentioned the part played in that tough campaign by the

Coast Watchers, nearly all of whom were Islands residents.

And there, standing inconspicuous among the spectators, and in mufti, was Eric Feldt, former New Guinea official, who earned fame as the officer in charge of the Coast Watchers dur ing those critical years 1942-44. He had not been invited to join the large party of VIP’S at the ceremony— some of whom played an exceedingly modest part in the war—but, being now a resident of Brisbane, he went along to join in the tribute paid to former American comrades. Bad management!

British—or What ?

The booklet, Introducing the British Islands, was never intended to be a work of reference—it was one of a series planned to catch the attention of casual readers, and en courage them to seek more authori tative books about the British Colonial Empire.

This explanation is given by Mr.

J. K. Stone, of Suva, when referring to our review of the booklet, pub lished in March PIM. Mr. Stone wrote a large part of the booklet.

The PIM pointed out that the booklet professed to deal with “British Pacific Islands”, but did not deal with Papua, New Guinea, Nauru, Norfolk Island, Cook Islands and Samoa, all of which have the effrontery to include the Union Jack in the flags which they fly from official mastheads.

Mr. Stone quotes from page 6 of the booklet: “The British Empire in the Pacific . . . does not include the island territories of Australia andl New Zealand, although these, of course, like those countries them selves, are within the Common wealth.”

Which does not quite answer our point. Are not Papua and Norfolk: and the Cook Islands—leaving out! the Trusteeship countries, with their questionable status—“ British Pacific: Islands”? If they are not, what are: they?

Partly Solved

The Brisbane Courier Mail of May, 7 noticed the paragraph in the; April PIM, about the plaque inscribed “Memento, British Exhibition* Wembley, 1924-25. The Hon. A. J.

Jones, MLA”, found in the debris oft Rabaul by the small son of Mrs.

V. A. Cooper; and the inquiry as Ur the identity of Mr. Jones.

The columnist said: “Sure, that’s the late Alf. Jones,: ex-Lord Mayor of Brisbane, who re-'

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nesented Queensland at Wembley, lut how his plaque came to be up n the jungle is just one of those dscinating little mysteries ..."

The family of the late Mr. Jones •robahly will communicate with Mrs. hooper.

\ Voice From ‘Before*

A New Guinea old-timer doesn't ike it, either: I am scribbling this on my knee tear the fire, and wondering if hirgatory can take the form of a Melbourne winter . . .

I saw to-day a spray of frangj ►anni, price 3/6. And once we valked on a carpet of them! . . . ivery issue tells of another old riend passing on—the Islands that ve loved are fast going . . . T uppose this is nostalgia!

Took* Pirates in Vila

From an Australian woman who yassed through Port Vila (New Hebrides ) on a French liner: “We took two Jeeps, with Ton inese drivers, and set off to see Jndine Bay, and we were thrilled nth everything—until the Tonkinese rivers bailed us up half-way, and /ouldn’t take us to Undine Bay, or ack to Vila, until we paid them lore. It was our first taste of the otorious pirates of the Pacific!”

When this was written (in London n April 4) the New Hebrides Government bad closed down on the really ‘Tonk taxis,” in an effort > regulate fares, and the Tonkinese rivers—the whole 19 of them— 'ere on strike.