Jack Mulholland

Today we remember Jack Mulholland who was an Army gunner stationed in Darwin during the first Japanese air-raid on 19 February 1942.

Jack Mulholland audio file (MP4 23.95 MB)

Jack Mulholland audio script

75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War

Audio actuality

“Fellow Citizens, the War is over” — (The Hon J B Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia)

August the 15th marks the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War. Around one million Australians enlisted to serve from a population of just seven million. On the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War, Australia Remembers Jack Mulholland, an Army gunner stationed in Darwin during the first Japanese air-raid on February the 19th, 1942.

He witnessed first-hand the shock and horror of the swift attack by the Japanese.

Jack Mulholland

At about five to ten, the alarm sounded. There was no warning they were coming in, none at all. They flew so low over our gun pits we could see them almost smiling at us as they went past.

I had a good view of the area out over the harbour and what was going on and it was a maelstrom of bombs bursting, of guns firing.

And suddenly there was a hell of a quiet and we staggered out and we saw a lot of bodies — they were washed up on the beach below us.

I can remember going down to pull a body out and grabbed it by the arm to pull it out and the arm come off.

Saturday, August 15 marks the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War. Let’s pay our respects to that amazing generation of Australians.