[?]hat J. K. McCarthy

Did in 1942

IfRIEND of Mr. J. K. McCarthy, , who recently was transferred ■■ from the position of District inmissioner in New Britain, to idquarters in Port Moresby, has Itten to ask if we can provide »opy of articles which appeared the Pacific Islands Monthly in wary and February, 1947, and ich describe how J. K. McCarthy ed about 240 men from the Jap jse—and almost certain death— January and February, 1942. us reminded, we have read those ides, which have been buried I forgotten in our files, fc is fitting that people in New inea and in Australia should be linded of this really magnificent lievement by J. K. McCarthy. arly 1942 was a time of incredible fusion and tragic suffering. The \e Japanese invasion fleet had le crashing in on top of Rabaul; ompletely smashed the puny de ce organisation that Australia [ established there; and it cap jd some hundreds of soldiers and lians (practically all of whom e afterwards killed) and drove idreds more away into the in pitable mountains and jungles STew Britain. Many of these were awards captured and brutally ited by the Japs—Australia never forget the Tol massacre—and ties escaped by small boats ight in close to the South st. ut the really big achievement that which was planned and icted by District Officer J. K.

Earthy. He worked along the th coast of New Britain, pene ed to within a few miles of the anese forces in the Bainings i and, by superhuman effort, (assisted by some fine old New nea hands like Rod Marsland, Mason, Frank Conroy, Captain •el, Ken Douglas, Lincoln Bell, •y Swanson, Frank Holland, Blue ris, A. P. H. Freund, and many =rs) succeeded in moving out. stages, parties totalling 240 men, it of them starving and broken ited. Gradually, he got them £ along the coast towards Tala where eventually they were :ed up by the Laurabada and an Die party from the Lutheran iion at Finschhaven. i the splendid record of how old New Guinea hands faced up he invasion, and fastened their h in the flanks of the brutal anese, and hung on until the erican and Australian forces ved to give the invaders every ig they deserved, there is no finer pter than that which describes K. McCarthy’s achievement in