ESCAPEES FROM RABAUL

Grey River Argus, 18 November 1942, Page 2

ESCAPEES FROM RABAUL

AUSTRALIAN SERGEANTS. 267 DAYS’ JOURNEY TO NEW GUINEA. SYDNEY, Nov. 17. Three A.I.F. sergeants who were cut off by the Japanese in New Britain have reached an Allied New Guinea' base after a 267 days’ journey. They travelled about 800 miles on foot, mostly through unmapped country, and 2000 miles in small boats, native canoes and rafts. Despite almost nine months of nardships, the men arrived in Allied-held territory fit and well. The sergeants were members of the Rabaul garrison, when the Japanese invasion force landed on January 23, but they managed, with oth- . er Australians, to make their escape from the enemy naval party which was responsible for the brutal massacres. Finding a 15ft boat, they decided to sail across the Coral Sea to Australia. One soldier died of fever. After a storm-tossed week, during which the party also had narrow escapes from being picked up by Japanese naval patrols thev were forced to put back to New Britain, where they found a small naval pinnace. Then came an amazing trip from island to island. None of the men knew anything about navigation, and they had only a small compass to keep them on their course. On many islands food was plentiful, and the three sergeants lived well on fresh eggs, turtles, pigeons, and bushfowls. More than 200 days after leaving Rabaul the Australians arrived on the north-eastern coast of New Guinea. They then set out to walk across the island. They moved through mountainous country, peopled by strange tribes. Although some of the tribes lived in adjoining valleys they were unable to understand their neighbours’ speech. Once across the mounr tains the three soldiers constructed a raft which carried them by river to the south coast. They then had to travel 250 more miles afoot to reach an Allied base, the land journey occupying 72 days.