In the early part of 1942 Australia was facing the biggest challenge in its relatively short history.
Papua New Guinea was seen as the door to Australia by the Japanese, with Port Moresby the key to that door.
The Japanese invaded New Guinea at Rabaul on January 23, 1942 and their first attempt to reach Port Moresby resulted in the famous Battle of the Coral Sea.
On May 4, 1942 the Japanese amphibious fleet set out from Rabaul around the coast to Port Moresby, but abandoned their offensive four days later after suffering heavy casualties.
The second Japanese attempt to reach Port Moresby was by land, across the Kokoda Track, while their air raids continued.
George has vivid, but not fond, memories of the air attacks.
The Van Heutsz landed late afternoon and its passengers were told to expect the first bombs at 8.30 that night. The Japanese were right on cue.
“Every day at 11 o’clock and every night at 8.30 their bombers flew in. We didn’t have much to fight them with … just a few Kittyhawks and some ack ack guns,” George said.
“At night they’d come in and drop bombs on the 7 Mile Airstrip, which was just over the range from our camp. There were two search lights on the strip which were turned on when they heard the bombers coming.”
“The only thing I used to get frightened of was the bombers.
“During the attacks we would head for the slit trenches in the most unorderly fashion and remain there until it was all clear.”
George’s battalion’s duties in Port Moresby included road making, digging slit trenches and assembling wire entanglement, as well as unloading food and supplies from boats in the harbour.
Because of his previous experience, George spent most of his time in building gangs, which was preferable to unloading boats.
After several months at Port Moresby, the Australian troops were transported to Ower’s Corner to begin their trek over the Owen Stanley Ranges.
More than 500 from George’s battalion started the arduous journey. Sixteen weeks later, only 27 completed it.
There were two very close calls that George remembers, where there was only an inch or so between life and death.
“We were going up the track and the Japs were only about 30 yards away.
“I was peering through a little bush and all of a sudden a single shot rang out and there was a ping.
“The bullet hit a twig on the bush … it was right in front of my eyes. That was close.
“Another time, in about the same place, they let some two inch mortars go at us. I felt a bit of a sting on my neck, but didn’t take much notice.
“A couple of days later a mate of mine, Stan Roberts, asked what had happened to my shirt.
“I said there was nothing I knew of, and he told me the collar and part of the back was all ripped. That was close, too.
“I s’pose they’re the two close calls I know about, but they reckon when you get shot, you never hear the shot. So there might have been others.”
Recalling the conditions on Kokoda, George explained there was never anywhere to sleep.
“Many nights we stood up because it was too wet to lie on the ground. We stood up all night.
“Your clothes were always wet. If they weren’t wet from the rain, they’d be wet from perspiration.”
“The tracks used to go straight up the hill, but now they zig zag and are nowhere near as steep.
“At one place, the Golden Staircase, some said there were a thousand steps and others said there were three thousand.
“I don’t know how many there were, but they weren’t really steps, they were just sticks that you could grab hold of.
“At the top there were no trees. It was cold and the air was very light. It didn’t take much to lose your breath.”
Against the odds, the Australian troops were able to repel the Japanese advance along Kokoda.
However, it came at a heavy price. A total of more than 620 Australians were killed along the Kokoda Trail, but that was just a fraction of the total toll.
More than 1,600 were wounded, and casualties from sickness exceeded a massive 4,000.
The 27 from George’s Battalion who reached the end of the track at Gona on foot were airlifted back to Port Moresby. Most, including George, were transferred onto a boat on New Year’s Eve 1942 and taken back to Brisbane.
George’s next three months were spent in and out of Army hospitals which had been set up in tents and unoccupied school buildings in Queensland.
He rejoined the 3rd Battalion in Darwin and serves in Lae, Amaroo and Bougainville before peace was declared in 1945.
George made his way to Griffith after the war, where he met wife Rita and developed a successful building business.
In 1954 he branched out into farming when he purchased a rice block at Brassi, near Deniliquin.
Here his building company worked on numerous local landmarks, including the rice mill and the former Regent Theatre, which is now home to the Baptist Church, as well as homesteads at Boonoke, Barratta and Caroonboon. He also completed construction of stage two of the Deniliquin Legacy units, providing homes for war widows.
