Crossfire - Lieutenant Colonel Ted Lynes RFD ED (Retd)

Letter to the Editor

In his 2006 Australian War Memorial Oration, Dr. Stanley questions that there ever was a Battle for Australia. Instead, he attempts to decry the emergence of a concept that thousands have embraced but which few historians have endorsed. He believes it is an idea that has captured popular imagination but is too restricted in concept and generally ill-conceived. I do not agree.

The commemoration of the Battle for Australia seeks to ensure that the knowledge and understanding of the heroism and sacrifice of those Australians who took part in the immediate defence of their country is enshrined in our national memory. It also acknowledges the subsequent defeat of the Japanese.

Prime Minister John Curtin’s announcement, following the fall of Singapore, that, “It is now the Battle for Australia” sought to motivate and to mobilise the nation. For the first and only time, Australians believed they would be attacked and the nation invaded, and so they prepared to defend their homeland.

Japan’s rapid capture of British Malaya and Singapore, the defeat of US forces in the Philippines and the occupation of the Dutch East Indies brought Japanese forces close to Australian shores.

Darwin was first bombed on 19th February 1942, and parts of the Australian administered territories in Papua and New Guinea were occupied. The losses of naval and merchant ships in the seas adjacent to Australia, and the Japanese submarine attacks on the eastern seaboard, heightened the fear in the general populace that the Australian mainland was seriously threatened.

The unchecked onslaught of Japanese forces to our north would require an unprecedented mobilisation of Australia’s people and resources and much hard fighting before the Japanese threat was contained and then defeated. It would also require significant assistance from our allies.

The Battle for Australia Commemoration, therefore, covers the initial encounter of the Japanese advance through Malaya and Singapore and the sea, air and land battles that sought to counter the Japanese thrust through the Netherlands East Indies, New Guinea and the Coral Sea. Also acknowledged is the bitter fighting required to remove the Japanese from eastern New Guinea and the subsequent campaigns in northern New Guinea and the neighbouring islands.

The Battle for Australia seeks to remember all these actions as well as those activities related to the defence of the homeland.

The attacks on Australia in early 1942—the raids on the northern towns, against Sydney Harbour and the shipping off the east and west coasts—created the belief that invasion was imminent. Starved of detailed information, many fell victim to malicious rumours, such as the existence of the Brisbane Line, which alleged that only the most populous areas of south-eastern Australia would be defended.

Most of the resources and means of production were directed towards the war. Australians had to adjust to a life in which even the most common peacetime commodities were rationed or became unavailable. Industry, science and society were mobilised not just for a remote victory, but also for immediate survival. Air raid precaution measures, including the strict enforcement of blackouts, were introduced.

The threat of invasion gave members of the part-time defence organisations an urgent purpose. The crises caused thousands of Australians to join such organisations as the Volunteer Defence Corps, the Naval Auxiliary Patrol, the Voluntary Air Observers’ Corps, the Australian Women’s Land Army, as well as the many voluntary groups.

Government took an unprecedented role in people’s lives. A Manpower Directorate was established which meant that the civilian population could be conscripted to work in industry and develop the country’s infrastructure. The roles of women changed dramatically and they became a significant part of the workforce. Manufacturing became a major sector in the economy.

So why is it important to commemorate the Battle for Australia?

The Battle for Australia Commemoration seeks to inform Australians of a most important event in their history, and to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who served. In so doing it acknowledges that:

•  For the first and only time, Australians were forced to defend their own country.

•  The country prepared for war in an unprecedented manner and every community was affected.

•  The veterans of the Battle for Australia are rapidly declining in numbers and the opportunity to honour their service will soon be lost.

•  The events surrounding the Battle for Australia are not well known, partly as a result of wartime censorship, partly because until recently little has been written about them.

A single commemorative event, specifically relating to the Battle for Australia, which seeks to incorporate, but not replace, the events and campaigns of the Pacific war, including homeland defence, will ensure that the entire series of operations is commemorated and not simply a particular battle or activity.

The consequences were far-reaching. Increasingly independent, Australia would embark on a path of national development and enhanced international relationships that would result in a proud, confident and prosperous nation.

Of the 557 000 Australians who served overseas during World War II, some three-quarters of this number served in the Pacific war, and many of the 39 427 who died did so in this campaign. Indeed the battles of the South-West Pacific resulted in the greatest loss of Australian lives in any campaign apart from the Western Front in the First World War.

The Federal Government and Opposition, the Returned and Services League of Australia, the Australian Veterans and Defence Services Council and other major ex-service organisations support the initiative.

To ensure that this significant period of our history is not forgotten, the following actions are in hand or proposed:

•  Proclaim the first Wednesday in September to be the Battle for Australia Commemoration Day. This day should be observed in a manner similar to Remembrance Day with annual commemorative services in national and state capitals and regional centres.

•  Develop educational programs, covering all aspects of the Battle for Australia, for schools.

•  Foster a commemorative relationship with Papua New Guinea and our other allies.

•  Establish a memorial site in Canberra on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin at the end of Anzac Parade.

The commemoration of the Battle for Australia in no way detracts from ANZAC Day. It is a fitting and complementary commemoration that acknowledges those who gave so much during the Second World War to preserve our freedom and way of life.

The service and sacrifice in the defence of our homeland must always remain a part of our national heritage, known and understood by all Australians and never forgotten.
 

LTCOL Ted Lynes, RFD ED (Retd)

Chairman

Victorian Committee

Battle for Australia Commemoration