by Alan Tucker
He came over to our place another day. I asked Cousin Stanley if we could operate the train set and he agreed.
‘You’re very privileged,’ Auntie Dorothy told me. ‘In his younger days his friends were never allowed to touch his trains.’
Slim was amazed at how tidy our room is.
‘Was your bedroom in Melbourne this neat?’
‘No,’ Mum called from the next room.
Sunday, 18 January
I had a nasty experience today. I was walking home from the corner store after buying supplies for Auntie Dorothy when I was struck by a rock in the back of the head. It was only small, but it packed a wallop. I spun around to see Beefy running away. When Uncle Jim saw the lump that evening he said it really was time to teach me self-defence.
‘I hope I have better luck with you than I had with Stanley. He was picked on continuously as a kid.’
He took me outside and showed me how to box but I proved hopeless. Every time he swung even a gentle punch in my direction I closed my eyes and flinched.
‘We’ll try a different tack,’ he said. ‘Do you think you could learn to wrestle?’
I shrugged. ‘I hope so.’
‘I hope so too or you may cop a lot more lumps on the head.’
We practised head- and arm-holds and although I was clumsy, I knew I had more hope of learning to wrestle than to box.
There’s still no news from Harold but the newspaper is reporting that Mr Curtin wants Australian troops currently stationed in Europe and the Middle East shipped home immediately to defend Australia from the Japanese. Mr Churchill (the British Prime Minister) wants them left in Europe. I hope Mr Curtin wins. The Japanese are only a hop, step and jump away from Australia. They’ve come 3,000 miles in five weeks and, by Stanley’s calculations, they’re only 1,000 miles away. That means they could be in Townsville within a fortnight.
Sunday, 4 January 1942
Dear Mum and Archie,
We militiamen never expected to leave Australian soil. We predicted we’d be moved north but never dreamed we’d be sent this far north. For security reasons I can’t say exactly where we’re stationed but I think I’m allowed to write ‘somewhere in New Guinea’.
We graduated as a battalion a month ago and marched through the streets of Melbourne. The public gave us a rousing reception that made me feel better after weeks of being shouted at by the training sergeant and being teased by the AIF lads. In camp, Arch, I had a taste of what you’ve suffered for years — and I didn’t like it. I hope the Townsville kids are treating you more kindly than the Melbourne boys did.
Life is very uncomfortable here. The local administration is so disorganised that when we arrived there was no accommodation for us. It rains heavily every day so we often sleep in wet clothes. The mosquitoes are thick in the air. It’s said they carry malaria and yet the army has provided us with neither mosquito nets nor quinine (a drug to combat malaria).
Our discomfort is made worse by the knowledge that the Japs aren’t far north of here and they’re moving closer every day. They must be superb fighters and well provisioned in order to advance so far so quickly.
We’re not well provisioned. Apart from what I mentioned earlier, we lack tents, picks, shovels, cooking utensils and proper tucker. We’re surviving on what we call dog biscuits, tinned beetroot and cups of tea. Bert shared a food parcel with me the other day. His mother’s home-cooked fruit cake was delicious and reminded me of yours Mum (but it was not as tasty of course).
Your loving son in soggy army boots, Des
Sunday, 25 January
Uncle Jim has hardly been home since Christmas. His crew have finished building the line of air raid shelters down the main street and started digging additional ones in the town’s parks.
‘People will have to run across open ground to get to them,’ he told us at dinner,’ but as long as they’re given ample warning of planes approaching, they shouldn’t be exposed to too much risk.’
‘How will they g-g-get the warning?’ I asked.
‘The council’s installing air raid sirens around town. Once they’re in place, they’ll offer training courses on what to do in case of an attack.’
‘I’d have thought that was pretty obvious,’ Auntie Dorothy said. ‘Run like crazy for shelter.’
The war news to our north is still not good. Rabaul has been captured and towns on the north coast of New Guinea have been bombed. Again Cousin Stanley consulted his map and again the news was bad.
‘Lae and Salamanua are both 170 miles from Port Moresby.’
‘That’s not good news for Des,’ Mum said grimly.
‘We d-don’t know for sure that D-D-Des is in P-Port Moresby,’ I replied.
‘True,’ Cousin Stanley said, ‘but there is no other town on the south coast of New Guinea capable of accommodating a thousand extra men.’
‘Is that how many soldiers stand between us and the Japanese army?’ Mum asked with surprise.
‘Approximately one thousand men form one battalion, Auntie Thelma,’ Cousin Stanley replied. ‘There was already a local battalion in New Guinea before Des’s battalion arrived. And I’m guessing one or two other battalions were shipped north with the 2/39th.’
‘Correct me if I’m wrong,’ persisted Mum, ‘but are you saying that there are only three or four thousand soldiers between here and the Japanese army?’
‘Precisely. But you must also factor in that most of those lads are in the same situation as Des and have had very little combat training. And none have battle experience,’ Cousin Stanley added.
Mum looked upset so Auntie Dorothy and Shirley comforted her. The three women have become the best of friends. They support one another all the time. A cup of tea and a chat seem to solve most of their worries. I can talk to Uncle Jim and Cousin Stanley but not about personal things.
‘Cheer up,’ Cousin Stanley said. ‘Our fighting men have an excellent reputation.’
I felt slightly fearful too after hearing the discussion. I can’t fight to save myself and yet I’m supposed to be the man of the house and look after Mum if the Japs invade.
Slim visited on Thursday. He and I played with the trains then later I taught him the wrestling holds I’ve learned. He was soon better at them than me. I could apply the holds quite well when he cooperated but when he struggled I lost my grip and ended up bent double in the hold rather than applying it.
The one bit of good news for the week is that Harold’s division has sailed from Egypt. The newspaper hasn’t reported that, of course, because of government censorship but Cousin Stanley heard the news at militia training. No-one knows whether they’re coming back to Australia or are being shipped to help the British defend Singapore. I hope they go to Singapore. The further we can stop the Japanese advance from our shores, the better.
Sunday, 1 February
There’s been good news and bad this week. The Japs have forced British troops off the Malayan peninsula. They’ve fallen back to Singapore. The good news is that the start of the school year’s been postponed for at least a month. Schools aren’t allowed to open until there are enough air-raid shelters and slit trenches to safely accommodate every student.
‘They wouldn’t b-b-bomb sch-schools, Uncle Jim, would they?’ I asked.
‘I fear they would, Archie. They don’t seem to respect anyone or anything except Emperor Hirohito.’
A lot of women and children have left town in the past week since school closures were announced. The little kids won’t go back to school until the middle of the year, if at all. We’re staying because I’m 14 and don’t legally have to go to school. I can leave and get a job. Mum said she wouldn’t let me but, after a few words from Uncle Jim, she agreed that I can work part-time until school starts. Uncle Jim knows of a job.
‘There’s a labour shortage around town,’ he told us. ‘More than a thousand local fellows have joined the armed forces since Japan came into the war.’
I have an interview tomorrow
for a job in a snooker hall. I don’t know much about snooker so I asked Cousin Stanley. He told me it’s a game that fascinates him.
‘Do you play very often?’ I asked.
He smiled. ‘Ball sports and I are not a good mix,’ he replied. ‘But that does not mean I cannot appreciate the mathematical beauty of a game like snooker. I love the angles and calculation of momentum required by a skilled player to “snooker” his opponent.’
‘What does “snooker” mean?’
‘It’s when one player positions the white ball so that his opponent cannot directly hit one of the fifteen red balls without incurring a no-hit foul. Understand?’
‘No,’ I replied. ‘Sorry.’
‘It is a game played by many people of average intelligence, Archie. A young man as smart as you will quickly learn the rules and understand the objectives.’
I was impressed that Cousin Stanley thinks I’m intelligent. I’ve never thought of myself as smart.
Uncle Jim’s got more work than he can poke a stick at, and it looks as if it’s about to increase. Shirley came home from work with the news that US Air Force officers and surveyors have flown in to Garbutt Air Force base.
‘They want to lengthen the current airstrip and build two more strips. They plan to have bomber command right here in little old Townsville,’ she said. ‘Once they establish a base they can attack the Japs and slow their advance south.’
‘It’s no good having three strips if we don’t have any bombers,’ Uncle Jim pointed out.
‘The Yanks will supply them as well as the heavy machinery to build the strips,’ Shirley replied. ‘They plan to make use of an Australian labour force and gradually replace them with battalion engineers from State-side.’
‘Bombers need air defence. Without it, the Japanese Zeros will shoot them down long before they reach their targets,’ Cousin Stanley pointed out.
‘Their engineers are planning to build fighter airstrips between here and Charters Towers and probably as far west as Hughenden. As soon as they’re ready, fighters will fly in.’
‘Planes need flight crews, support crews, maintenance crews and administrative officers plus ordinance and ammunition stores.’
‘I’m sure the Yanks have planned for that too, Stanley,’ she replied.
‘What you’re telling us, Shirley, is BIG’, Uncle Jim said. ‘Very big. If it all happens.’
‘It will happen, Father. The Americans are never short of a money, new supplies or know-how,’ Cousin Stanley interrupted. ‘And it will happen quickly because if the US does not act quickly, the Japanese will land on Australian soil.’
‘And we’ll be their slaves,’ Uncle Jim added, ‘unless they decide to kill us all and recolonise the country with Japanese migrants.’
Mum and Auntie Dorothy were horrified.
Tuesday, 3 February
I’m writing a diary entry between Sundays because a terrible thing has happened: Port Moresby has been bombed. The radio report had little detail which has stressed Mum greatly.
‘Why couldn’t they broadcast more information? I’d sooner know the worst than imagine it.’
‘There’s no point worrying over matters beyond your control,’ Auntie Dorothy told her.
‘You’re right,’ Mum replied. ‘If Des is dead, there’ll be a knock at the door and a telegram. That’s how those brave army administrators do it, isn’t it?’
There was a long silence before Uncle Jim explained that there is no other way.
‘It’s impersonal, Thelma, I know but …’
He stopped talking because Mum burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Dorothy who comforted her. She and Mum are close like Des and me.
I got the job at the snooker hall and start work tomorrow evening. It’s the perfect job for me because I’m not allowed to speak. The boss told me that snooker players take the game very seriously and demand total silence while they plan and take their shots. My job is to retrieve the balls from the pockets, set them on their correct spots and remain silent at all times so the players’ concentration isn’t interrupted.
Slim’s a good friend. He’s excited that I got the job. I told him I’d let him know if another position comes up. He’s disappointed that the start of school has been delayed. He’s bored at home. Unlike me, he has lots of friends at school.
Sunday, 8 February
The work at Garbutt air base is going full steam ahead. As Uncle Jim said, ‘When the Yanks want to get something done, they pour money, men, machinery and materials into it.’
The railway line south has been flat out with traffic. Cousin Stanley is thriving on the increased activity. He works very long hours but never looks stressed. Some nights he sleeps at the office rather than come home. Goods trains have been delivering heavy machinery and men day and night: and military trucks have been carrying truckload after truckload from the station to Garbutt. From our house you can hear machinery working around the clock.
Uncle Jim drove me past the site two days ago so I could see what’s happening with the airstrip extensions. We heard the roar of the bulldozers’ motors before we saw them. They were busy flattening scrub and had pushed soil and trees into huge piles. Uncle Jim works with heavy machinery but even he couldn’t believe how big and powerful the ‘dozers and trucks are that the Yanks have shipped over from the US.
‘The Japs may have misjudged the power of the US when they attacked Pearl Harbour, Archie. ‘
Port Moresby has been bombed at least once more since the first attack. Mum has been less frightened by the news or if she has, she hasn’t shown it. The news from south-east Asia is worse. The Japs are bombing and strafing Singapore even though the city’s full of civilians.
‘That’s typical of how bullies behave,’ Uncle Jim told me as we were working on my wrestling holds.
After I continually failed to apply a head-hold he suggested we abandon it and concentrate only on arm-holds.
‘Let’s master one thing at a time.’
Sunday, 15 February
We just heard the most shocking news: General Percival, the commander of Australian and British troops in Singapore, has surrendered to the Japanese commander, General Yamashita. Prime Minister Curtin, after announcing the surrender, told the nation that the battle for Australia has begun.
‘He’s right about that,’ Uncle Jim said quietly. ‘Yamashita will have his sights set on us next.’ He thought before continuing. ‘The little yellow man is having a golden moment but just let him try to set foot on Australian soil. There might only be seven million of us but we fight above our weight.’
Tens of thousands of Australian soldiers are now prisoners of war because of General Percival’s surrender. Mum’s worried that Harold might be among them because there are rumours that Australian troops withdrawn from Europe and the Middle East, were shipped to Singapore. The government has been very secretive about exact numbers of prisoners and which battalions were captured. They say they don’t want too much information to fall into the hands of the enemy.
‘It’s too late for that,’ Uncle Jim muttered.
‘I suppose they don’t want the Australian public to lose heart,’ Auntie Dorothy said.
‘It’s a bit late for that too,’ Mum sighed. ‘This war’s wearing me down. I’ve got two sons in service: one’s been bombed and I don’t know whether he’s dead or alive, and the other is on a ship that may well have delivered him to Singapore just in time to surrender. And to make matters worse, in the ten weeks since the Japanese first flexed their muscles, they’ve proved unbeatable.’
Friday, 6 February 1942
Dear Mum and Archie,
Our situation is slightly less chaotic now than when I previously wrote. We’ve been issued tents, worked to upgrade the airstrip and unloaded dozens of ships carrying vital supplies. We’re so busy being labourers, however, that there’s very little time for combat training.
We’ll need to fight soon enough. It may have been reported in Australia (
or the news may have been censored) that we’ve been bombed—twice in three days. I’m perfectly safe but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to say that.
The pattern in recent weeks is that after Jap forces land in a new country they prove unbeatable. I was more confident of our fighting abilities when I was in Melbourne but up here, where the terrain and weather are so alien, I question how we’ll perform against such hardened fighters.
The natives lack confidence in us. The bombing raids frightened them. Many have packed their belongings and walked back into the jungle. One fellow told us in broken English (it’s called Pidgin English) that he’d be back when ‘the big bang is finished’.
We don’t have the luxury of running away. We have to stand and fight—and we will.
If it makes you feel better, Mum, I can report that Bert and I have camouflaged our tent and paid a native to build us each a bed. It cost us very little. The rain here is never-ending so being able to sleep off the ground guarantees a reasonably comfortable night’s sleep. A mosquito net is essential too. Unfortunately the nets arrived too late for some fellows who have contracted malaria. Dysentery is a growing problem. Our company has suffered few serious cases which is testimony to the hygiene standard insisted on by our officers.
I hope you are both well and your relocation up north was more satisfactory than mine. Pass on my best wishes to the relatives.
Your loving son and brother, Des
I started work on Friday. I was very nervous but concentrated hard. I quickly learned where to place all the coloured balls but twice confused the green and yellow balls. Luckily, the players were very understanding.