PRAISE FOR DIGGERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 106, 31 October 1942, Page 7

PRAISE FOR DIGGERS

WOUNDED FROM NEW GUINEA

(0.C.) SYDNEY, October 13. Private J. H. ("Scotty") Stevenson, A.I.F. veteran of campaigns in the Middle East and New Guinea, thinks that Australian soldiers are gamer than the famous. Black Watch.

Stevenson left his native Scotland three years ago to come to Australia, but war broke out while he was on the ship. Three weeks after . his arrival in Australia he joined the A.1.F., and now counts himself a "dinkum Aussie."

With a broken leg in plaster, Scotty was among a trainload of wounded who returned from New Guinea and are now at a military hospital near Sydney. "Where in the world would you find men who could crawl, injured and maimed, on their damaged limbs or bellies for 14 days through mud, slush, and rain, and refuse to be helped on the way?" he asked. "There are real heroes in those places." Stevenson believes one Australian is as good as two Japanese, even at the Jap's own game, but he thinks that tKe jungle-type of fighting is going to spoil the Australians as "openfighters." He said that the Japanese were easily scared with anything that made a noise. "We used to hear them squealing with fear as our hand grenades went over," he added.

Private R. E. Meadows, of Kalgoorlie (Western Australia), whose left arm was fractured in a dash through Japanese machine-gun fire, said he had seen many acts of valour in the Jap push towards Moresby. "When the Japs cut us off from our brigade, a chap named Maidment received a machine-gun burst in the chest," Meadows stated. "He got fighting mad, and, although badly wounded, jumped up and ran at the Japs, throwing hand grenades. The officer of the platoon hurriedly rallied his men, and following Maidment they wiped out the Japs. I heard afterwards that Maidment was recommended for the V.C." .

Meadows said that he and the other injured men in his battalion had to make a five-day walk back to Moresby over terribly rough country and in pouring rain and mud.