General Came

[?]gle Drums

Ie Day The

JRING the New Guinea campaign in the Markham and Ramu valleys in the last war, mtery broke out among the ves and, to some extent, spread he troops. However, great care strict supervision prevented its ad to any extent and all autions were strictly observed, ime the time when the native ur moved from Kumbarum to irea closer to the front line and Medical Assistant had six 5 of dysentery in the labour > send them to the base camp nt a possible spreading of the ise as the base was clear of the time, so he decided to take i with him to the new area.

I other personnel walked over

i jeep and trailer were provided tie medical gear and immobile nts. The EMA settled his atients comfortably, with two y rice drums, well covered, to us sanitary cans for the trip i should have taken about an was unfortunate that General ey had chosen the same day ake a visit to the front time, brought with him sufficient to fill two jeeps. road was narrow and on ig to the foot of the hill, the &1 jeep with trailer was ed by a flustered MP and 1 off the road. The General )n his way, stopping now and to speak to the troops lining oad. He got past OK but his jeep bogged in the road il hundred yards back.

The General’s jeep disappeared round the bend. The EMA waited, but the six poor patients could not. Regular visits to the drums and agonised expressions were the order of the day. At last, taking it that the lesser of the two evils of spreading the disease or getting into trouble for going on without permission, was to get into trouble anyhow, the EMA told the driver to get moving.

To say that the driver was anxious to get away was putting it mildly. He shot off rapidly, raising sufficient of a headwind to purify the air, but unfortunately the General had waited round the bend for his staff. On seeing a jeep, he went on but cast many enquiring glances back as did those who were travelling with him.

Then up came the staff jeep.

There was no room to pass but they ran very close to the trailer —for about two minutes —and then dropped back some distance.

Guards along the road sprang

to attention and presented arms, the General saluting as he slowly moved along. The Medical jeep followed; the guards looked amazed and came to attention while the patients visited the drums very regularly. Then came the staff jeep, containing Brigadiers and Colonels, but they only got a wave or a shout of laughter, Past the camps and on to near Brigade HQ went the convoy, with the staff jeep dropping back further every moment. The turn off to the new labour camp came into view with a number of natives standing by to help with the gear. Seconds after stopping, the jeep and trailer were unloaded and shot off to became lost in the crowd at the nearby depot unseen by the staff or the General.

The matter of where the jeep

went to was carefully kept from the “Visiting Firemen” but some months later the EMA received word that he had been mentioned in despatches and he is not sure to this day whether it had anything to do with the trip to the camp above Dumpu.

Daika