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PAPUA NEW GUINEA
The 60th anniversary of major World War II campaigns in Papua New Guinea
was commemorated during 2002 with the construction of significant new
memorials and upgrading of numerous existing memorials by the Office
of Australian War Graves.
Isurava MemorialThe Isurava Memorial was dedicated on 14 August 2002 by Australia’s Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard MP and the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, the Rt Hon Sir Michael Somare GCMG CH MP. The Memorial was constructed in remembrance of all those Australians and Papua New Guineans who fought and those who died on the Kokoda Track in 1942. One of the most desperate battles in Australian history was fought at Isurava between 26 and 30 August 1942. Japanese forces were trying to make their way over the Owen Stanley Range along the Kokoda Track to seize Port Moresby. Had the enemy broken through and taken Port Moresby, Australia itself would have been laid open to direct assault. Isurava is also the site where Private Bruce Kingsbury, 2/14th Battalion, performed an act of valour for which he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross — the first Victoria Cross awarded in Papua New Guinea. The signs of the ferocity of the Battle of Isurava are still present, weapons’ pits originally used by the Australians at Isurava are still evident in the vicinity of the memorial site. Prior to construction, the memorial site itself was strewn with rusting magazine cartridges, and unexploded mortar shells from the battle. The memorial site offers a spectacular view to the north over the Kokoda Valley, framed by the perfect V-shape of the surrounding mountains. The Memorial features four Australian black granite pillars that are each inscribed with a single word — COURAGE, ENDURANCE, MATESHIP, and SACRIFICE representing the values and qualities of those Australian soldiers who fought along the Kokoda Track. Isurava Memorial was designed by Hewitt Pender Associates, Sydney, and constructed by PNG based company C&M Engineers Limited, with assistance from the Isurava community. The challenges of constructing a major memorial in record time, in a remote location and difficult weather conditions were considerable. Ninety tonnes of materials were airlifted by helicopter to construct the memorial, including the four black granite sentinel stones each weighing 3.5 tonnes. The sentinel stones were specifically designed and cut to the maximum payload capacity of the MIL 8 helicopter. Ten information panels (including two in Tok Pisin language) have been installed in the interpretative area of the memorial. A 16-page commemorative booklet containing reproductions of the information panels is available for purchase.
Trekker’s hut constructed at IsuravaA trekkers’ hut was constructed at Isurava by the Office of Australian War Graves at the end of 2002 in anticipation of ever-growing numbers of visitors to the Isurava Memorial and as a means of generating revenue for the Isurava clan. The hut was constructed to provide shelter for visitors to Isurava, where sudden changes in weather and occasional strong winds are not unusual in the rugged mountains of the Owen Stanley Range. The hut accommodates up to 12 people in bunks, and is constructed from a timber frame with metal exterior cladding. The hut was prefabricated in Port Moresby, disassembled, and the materials transported by helicopter to Isurava. Development of water supply from the nearby creek to the Isurava community is expected to be undertaken in the near future as part of a wider project for water supply development along the Kokoda Track. To mark the reopening of the Kokoda Track in 2001, the Office of Australian War Graves committed $100,000 towards development projects such as the provision of water supplies to these remote communities along the Track. A two-way radio has also been installed in the hut to provide communication for local people and emergencies. The people of Isurava have agreed to maintain the guesthouse for trekkers. Visitors can expect to be charged a fee of 15 kina (about $6.80) per night for accommodation, although there will no fee for visiting the Isurava Memorial.
Milne Bay MemorialThe new Milne Bay Memorial has been built on the foreshores of Alotau, with a magnificent view over the bay to provide a place of commemoration and reflection. The memorial was dedicated on 1 November 2002 during the commemorative mission to PNG led by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon Danna Vale MP. The memorial features an imposing 3 metre high granite column. The centrepiece is inscribed with the three Australian service crests, and the words ‘In remembrance of those Australians, Papua New Guineans, and their Allies who fought and those who died in the Battle of Milne Bay 1942.’ The memorial site also features an interpretative area, with eight information panels. The Milne Bay Memorial was designed by Hewitt Pender Associates, and constructed by local construction company, Nawae Construction Limited. Extensive earthworks were undertaken at the site during construction to raise the level of the Memorial and enhance the view over Milne Bay. Fierce fighting took place during World War II in the vicinity of the memorial site as the Japanese forces advanced through the area towards the airfields before their eventual defeat and withdrawal.
The Battle of Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea during August and September 1942 is hailed as the first significant defeat of the Japanese forces on land during World War II. Before the war, Milne Bay at the eastern tip of the island of New Guinea, was known to few outside the country. Today it is regarded as one of the key battles that turned the tide against the Japanese in the Pacific. Japanese forces staged a concerted effort to secure a base at Milne Bay for naval and air support facilities to launch an attack on Port Moresby. RAAF Kittyhawks flew bombing and strafing operations in an example of outstanding cooperation with the Army to defend the Allied base facilities. While being pushed back to close proximity of the airfields, Australian ground troops contested every step. Eventually the defenders gained the upper hand, and the last remnants of the Japanese evacuated Milne Bay. Corporal John French of the 2/9th Battalion was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Milne Bay. Several hundred people attended the dedication of Milne Bay Memorial. Those attending included 18 veterans and two war widows, represent-atives in the official mission from Australia, five members of an Australian Parliamentary delegation, PNG veterans and representatives of the PNG judiciary. The families of many local people who had suffered and shown great bravery during the Battle of Milne Bay were also represented at the ceremony, including family members of the late Maiogura, a PNG nurse officially decorated for her courage. Restoration work to an existing memorial at Turnbull Field, on the outskirts of Alotau, was also undertaken during 2002 by the Office of Australian War Graves.
Popondetta MemorialThe upgraded Popondetta Memorial was dedicated by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon Danna Vale MP and the Governor of Oro Province, the Hon Bani Hoivo MP on 2 November 2002. An official mission of 18 veteran representatives and two war widows accompanied the Minister for the dedication. The Memorial at Popondetta commemorates the service and sacrifice by Australians, Papua New Guineans and their Allies in the Battle for Buna, Gona and Sanananda in 1942–43. Popondetta was a staging area for the Australian offensive from November 1942 to January 1943 against the heavily fortified Japanese-held beachheads on the north coast. This campaign involved the largest loss of life, and some of the most difficult fighting of the war in Papua New Guinea. About 1,300 Australians and 1,000 Americans, and an unknown number of Papua New Guineans, were killed in action or died from wounds or illness. Many more were wounded or suffered from tropical diseases. Over 6,000 Japanese were killed. The upgrade of the Popondetta Memorial, completed in October 2002, involved a significant refurbishment of the existing memorial and the construction of a new pavilion at the entrance to the memorial park. New information panels were added, two flag poles installed as well as a more formal entrance with paving and landscaping leading to the memorial. The original structure built in 1962 featured seven battle notices
which were relocated to the site from Buna, Buna Old Strip, Cape Endaiadere,
Giropa Point, Gona, Sanananda Point and Wye Point so that they could
be preserved at a central place of commemoration. These historic plaques
were among the 26 original
The historic plaques have been retained as a feature of the upgraded memorial, with new retaining walls added to the rear and sides of the existing structure, and new steps added to the front. A new interpretative pavilion was been constructed at the park entrance to house information panels with details of the Battle for Buna, Gona and Sanananda. The dedication ceremony was attended by members of Australia’s Federation Guard who provided the catafalque party. A group of traditional dancers from the local community also performed to celebrate the event. A 24-page commemorative booklet produced for the dedication of the Milne Bay and Popondetta Memorials, incorporating the text and images on the panels at these two memorials, is available for sale.
Rabaul MemorialTwo stone memorials at Rabaul, the Rabaul 1942–45 Memorial, and the Montevideo Maru Memorial, were re-located to a new raised platform by OAWG during 2002. Both memorials were previously about a metre below the surrounding ground level, due to the build up of volcanic ash deposits during the 1990s. The Rabaul 1942–45 Memorial on the foreshore of Simpson Harbour honours all those who lost their lives in the air, on land and at sea in the Defence of New Britain and in the course of the Japanese occupation during 1942–45. The new memorial structure also features a cairn in remembrance of the Montevideo Maru, which sailed from Rabaul in June 1942 carrying 845 Allied prisoners-of-war and 208 civilian internees who had been captured by Japanese forces on New Britain and New Ireland during World War II. The ship was torpedoed of the Philippine Islands on 1 July 1942 and sank with the loss of all lives.
Cape WomThe Surrender Memorial at Cape Wom, on the outskirts of Wewak, was originally constructed on the site of the surrender of the Japanese Army. With funding from OAWG, the Rotary Club of Wewak and local landowners undertook significant restoration of the memorial and surrounding park area during 2002.
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I write to thank you for your department’s efforts to ensure that the inauguration of the Isurava Memorial during my recent visit to Papua New Guinea proved so memorable. The memorial itself is simple but moving, in a site of striking natural beauty. Its remote mountaintop location, which I know posed significant construction challenges, will give any visit there a special atmosphere. It is my hope that in coming years increasing numbers of young Australians will take the opportunity to walk the Kokoda Track and make that visit. Your officials worked particularly hard both to enable attendance by the group of Australian veterans and to complete the memorial on time, and I would be grateful if you could pass on my thanks to them for this. I would also be grateful if you could make a special point of passing to the Australian veterans my warm personal appreciation of the contribution which their presence made to the occasion’s solemnity and poignancy. John Howard
In November 2001, when the 2/14 and 39 Battalion Associations submitted proposals to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby, for commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Kokoka track Campaign, and build a memorial at Isurava, we could never have imagined what has since been accomplished. The Isurava Memorial is a compelling and reflective monument, aesthetically placed with that commanding view down the Eora Valley to the lowlands leading to Kokoka. The memorial has a powerful symbolism and in the quietness and serenity of the mountain setting, is a fitting tribute to those who gave their lives along the Kokoda Track. While the Isurava Memorial commemorates all the battles along the Kokoda Track in 1942, it is especially significant to the 2/14 and 39 Battalions. In the joint act of laying the wreath at the Memorial Centrepiece, and the handshake that followed, symbolised the bond that linked the two battalions in the Battle of Isurava 26–30 August 1942. As the hosts and guardians of the battle site, it is pleasing to know the Isurava people now have a contract to look after the memorial. Our Association has developed close links with these rather neglected mountain people: who hosted us during the 2/14 Bn Pilgrimage to Isurava in 1998; and again during the 2/14-39 Bn’s four day survey party in 2000 — which located and defined the battle site. In an act of trust and goodwill, for which you have officially thanked them, they willingly provided the land on which to site the memorial. With Isurava now a focal point for trekkers, and hopefully air travellers as well, we hope the local people will be helped develop the services the visitors need, and that the development will help improve the village economy. Once again the Office of Australian War Graves has given the nation an impressive and enduring monument of remem-brance. With another soon to be unveiled at Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea will then have notable list of war cemeteries and monuments under your (OAWG) care. Relatively close to Australia, these points of remembrance have been built by our nation for our nation and are part of our heritage. This being so, it seems fitting that Australians should be encouraged to visit Papua New Guinea and see the carefully tended graves and monuments that War Graves cares for on their behalf. Matthew R. Power President 2/14th Battalion Assoc Inc
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