An Australian Story by Gordon Smith

Author:Gordon Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: world war 2, australia, world war 1, convict transportation, family history, conscription, exporation
Publisher: Gordon Smith

No increase in British and American forces in the Far East,

No interference in Indo-China, and

American cooperation with Japan in obtaining raw materials.

Japan would go to war.

Training now started to become intense with a definite feeling that something was about to break. There was a continuous movement of officers, and what appeared to be intelligence officers around battalion HQ and Roy observed some British Officers in the company of men in civilian clothing who walked with a military bearing and spoke with what appeared to be American accents.

On the 29th of November, the battalion received at 1220 the code word “AWAKE.”

At 1800 they received the code word “ARMOUR.”

The church parade, the next day was a sombre affair and yet, other than a few officers, no one knew why.

The following day the initial order was that all kit bags and surplus gear to be packed on trucks ready to leave for the General Base Depot. Just after lunch, another message was received......code word “SEAVIEW.”

It was now obvious to Roy and his comrades that something had happened or was about to happen. Defences became fully manned, and demolition of the building in the field of fire commenced.

One hour after Japanese bombers struck at Hawaii on the morning of December 7th, 1941, Prime Minister John Curtin of Australia declared that "from one hour ago, Australia has been at war with the Japanese Empire." War was formally declared at 11:15 A.M., December 9th, Australian time (8:15 P.M., December 8, American E.S.T.). Announcing Australia's recognition that a state of war existed, Prime Minister Curtin said at 7:30 A.M., American E.S.T December 8:

The day after war was declared a report of enemy Para troops came in from the X battery wagon lines and the whole battalion was on alert. After a patrol was sent out it found to be a false alarm.

Roy was involved in all the vigorous works that day, helping to evacuate the civilian population, demolition of houses in the village and the preparation of minefields. This carried on over the next two days along with the digging of further slit trenches.

It was a scene of organised confusion for the next fortnight. Evacuation of the civilians was slow due to the shortage of trucks, but work continued with the clearing of firing zones, the laying of minefields and digging, even more, slit trenches. It became an extremely busy area which was even more so when the order came to start evacuating local civilians from the surrounding jungle. This all created a persistent feeling of anticipation that very soon they would be involved in fighting the Japanese. This was even more highlighted when early in the evening of the 16th, a brilliant orange flare lit up the sky a few miles to the south-west. However, no plane was heard or seen. The next night an unidentified plane dropped a flare over the nearby “B” echelon area.

Every single soldier was involved over the next week continually clearing the fields of fire, installing camouflage and continual weapon testing and adjustments.

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