BY SEA AND LAND

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22471, 5 January 1943, Page 2

BY SEA AND LAND

Nine Months’ Travel

An Escape From Rabaul After 267 days of travel by foot, naval pinnace, canoe, and raft, three A.I.F. sergeants who were in the Rabaul garrison on January 23, when the Japanese made their successful invasion, arrived at a New Guinea base. The soldiers were three Victorians. Sergeant James Flucker, of Geelong, Sergeant Arthur Vine, of Malvern, and Sergeant Percy Beenie, of Glenferrie, Melbourne. Evading the Japanese, they made their way to the south coast of New Britain, but cleared out when a Japanese naval landing party, which subsequently massacred Australians, made their landing. Flucker and his friends, hiding on the bank of a river, saw the Japanese emerge from the jungle on the opposite side. Continuing down the coast, the Australians came upon a rich plantation, where there were cattle, vegetables, and fruit. They established a camp and assisted a number of other Australians who arrived during the few days they were there. Flucker and Beenie found near a beach in the vicinity of the plantation a 15-foot open boat, and, although neither had had any sailing experience, they decided they would try to get. to Australia in it. For a week they and a few others were at sea, trying to get along the New Britain coast. The weather was bad, and they say they were blown back nearly to where they began. Other Australians with them became sick. One died of fever, and they went ashore to bury him. It was along this part of the coast that Vine was picked up and joined the party. Returning to a small harbour on the southern coast, the Australians were told that troops were being evacuated from the northern side. They arrived there five days too late to get aboard the last evacuation ship. Escaped in Squall They remained for a few days and found plenty of food. When a small naval pinnace showed up, the party went up the coast, looking for other possible escapees, and were close to being picked up by a Japanese naval patrol. Vine said that had it not been for a heavy rain squall, which enabled them to hide from the Japanese, they would have been caught. They landed on an island and hoped they would be picked up, but after waiting two months for transport they decided to try to get across to New Guinea in the pinnace. The craft had become unseaworthy, and for days the soldiers worked decking it and putting it into shape. Then began an amazing trip from small

island to small island. None of the men knew anything about navigation, and they had only a small compass to keep them on their course. On some islands food was plentiful, and they lived like princes on turtles, pigeons, and bush fowl eggs. Many weeks had passed when ultimately they landed on the northeastern coast of New Guinea. It was now more than 200 days since they had left Rabaul, but the Australians set off to walk across New Guinea. Strange Tribes

For 10 days they trudged towards Wau, and then heard that the Japanese had occupied the place. This made them retrace their steps towards their original hopping-off place, whence they again started, through unmapped country, but over a course that would not take them near Wau.

The travellers came upon strange tribes in the mountainous country through which they travelled. They say that although some tribes live only a few hundred yards apart—as the crow flies—they could not understand each other’s speech. Ultimately the Australians come to a big, swirling river, which flowed swiftly towards the southern coast. They made a big raft, and sailed onwards. When they did arrive at the coast they were 260 miles from an Allied base.

Altogether, they estimate, they travelled about 800 miles on foot and 2000 by boat