[?]Ntention” Of

[?] hat Incident [?]t Bena Bena

[?]Not The Slightest

[?]Escuing Survivors

PlM’s review of the latest Aus alian war history, The Japanese

hrust (January, p. 65) created

ide interest. The interest went juble in regard to the Bena ena incident, which was re

nted in the review.

IHE historian recorded that one . party of weary Australian survivors from Rabaul had ached Bena Bena, in the High tids, where they had been told ey would be evacuated. But at ma Bena they learned that only e American crew of a crashed mber would be flown out, and the istralians had to keep walking.

Eventually, according to the itorian, four aircraft—two Boston 24’s, a DH-86, and a Spartan )th —were lost attempting to ;cue the Americans, h February, PIM published a ter from a NG man who said he s in charge of the walking party. said there was no DH-86 but •ee B-24’s, and gave some other its which he asked PIM to pass to the historian.

Since then, another letter has ;n received from Lt.-Col. B. G. wson, now Australian Trade mmissioner in Auckland. As he ntioned a well-known ex rritorian, G. W. L. Townsend, we it a copy of his letter to Mr. (vnsend and asked if he wished make any comment. The two ;ers are published here, n view of the previous letter ty could be a little confusing, but ■ answer probably is that there s more than one walking party the time and that all our respondents have not been erring to the same incident the torian had in mind, lut if anybody else wants to ffi in, they are welcome.

-Col. Dawson’S Letter:

noted with interest on page 65 your January issue, a panel cribing how one weary party of e Australians, who had escaped m Rabaul, were informed at l a , Bena that tho y must walk to t Moresby, while American air w were flown out. was the leader of that group of y sick Australians, and I did the k. It may interest you to know t the aircraft was an Australian Dragon Rapide flown by an stralian New Guinea pilot, Jerry itland.

We were informed that the instruction to deny to us Australians these Australian facilities, while granting them to the Americans, who were in good health, came from an Administration Officer named “Cassa” Townsend.

I have never met this gentleman, but have often wanted to.

No doubt this is another example of the Chief of Staff’s policy, as related by the History, that the Rabaul forces was “expendable”.

It is clear that the Australian Service Chiefs did not have the sightest intention of rescuing any survivors of the invasion.

A few of us survived, in spite of them.

B. G. Dawson, Lt.-Col. (R. of O.)

Mr. Townsend’S Comment:

I remember this also of a crash of Americans at Aiyura.

However, the only aircraft I had any control of in those early days (loading only) was the Ford which did several trips to Bulolo. I did insist there, on the aircraft tools and other special tools being loaded (this on instruction from Moresby) and I did deny loading of a packet of gold which a Mr. Simpson wished to get out. Simpson had boxes and boxes which we had no room for (did all contain gold?) and I believe he finally buried them.

I had no control over any aircraft, neither American nor Australian.

Any instructions Pentland got must have come from Moresby.

G. W. L. Townsend.