DARWIN UNDER MARTIAL LAW

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22204, 23 February 1942, Page 5

DARWIN UNDER MARTIAL LAW

Evacuation Of Town In Progress Hospital Ship Hit In Raid By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (11.10 p.m.) CANBERRA, Feb. 22. Darwin has been placed under martial-law. All civilians where possible have been evacuated. The Prime Minister (Mr J. Curtin), announced that a hospital ship at Darwin was bombed and damaged. An official report stated that the ship was clearly marked with the Red Cross. The Australian Minister of the Interior (Senator J. S. Collings) announced in Canberra that the evacuation of Darwin will be completed by next Thursday. Only men required for the defence of Darwin were remaining in the town. The Administrator, Mr C. L. A. Abbott, is remaining at his post to assist the military authorities. It is officially reported from Canberra that in the course of Thursday's raid on Darwin, enemy aircraft attacked Bathurst Island, near Darwin. The attack was not heavy. The Berlin radio quoted a Tokio newspaper as stating that the Japanese raids on Darwin were made necessary because of the Australian attitude towards Japan, which has become more and more hostile in spite of General Tojo’s warnings that Australia’s attitude is difficult to explain, because she belongs to the East Asia sphere where her surplus wheat and wool will easily find consumers. The newspaper also said that the Darwin aerodromes were used for American bombers en route to the Philippines, East Indies and Malaya. No vital damage was done to Air Force installations in the Japanese air attack on Darwin on Thursday. Casualties in the three services did not exceed eight killed. The total casualties were 15 killed, including nine women, and 24 wounded. Six enemy aircraft are known to have been shot down.