| Description |
Historical narrative
This is a story told by Daniel Pakanatangala at Raputput village, Makada on 1 November 2022.
This is a story about the Second World War, about the day when the Japanese landed in Rabaul. It was on a Saturday, when workers from Matalau village, led by Elipas, were going about their workday at the Ah Tam wharves in Rabaul town. Midday, they had their break to eat their lunches. They only had a half-day’s work.
After lunch, they walked from the wharves through the town, past the old marketplace, and then over Namanula hill, heading towards their village, Matalau, which is in the seaside area northeast of Rabaul.
When they reached the top of the hill (now the site of a Japanese memorial), they looked across Rabaul Harbour and saw two bomber planes flying in and around the town. The planes dropped bombs, aiming for the ships in the harbour.
The group, led by Elipas, began running to Matalau to warn the people in the village that the Japanese were bombing Rabaul. The villagers then escaped into ditches to hide and to protect themselves from the bombings.
The next morning, on Sunday, the villagers came out of their hiding places and saw many Japanese warships, fighting planes, and submarines all heading towards Rabaul Harbour. The residents of the town began escaping to hide in places like Talvat and Matupit. On Monday, the Australians were preparing to respond, and so the war began.
(Steven Gagau, April 2024)
(revised, Russell Barlow, May 2024) |
