BASS Coast veterans, family and councillors have paid tribute to local servicemen with the unveiling of a plaque at the Arcade Plaza in Wonthaggi marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Waitavolo in New Guinea in March 1945.
| The Plaza Arcade was used as a drill hall by a Company of the 14th Battalion, The Prahran Regiment, from 1937 till the end of the Second World War. There were many local enlistments from the Wonthaggi area. Wonthaggi RSL president Kevin Walsh, who helped to organise the event, said up to 40 battalion members were from the local area. At the start of the war, the battalion was mobilised and initially sent to guard vital installations near Geelong. On the fall of Timor in early 1942 it was rushed by rail to Geraldton in Western Australia to bolster the defences against a possible Japanese landing. The battalion was later sent to Darwin to strengthen the defences of the top end. As the threat to Australia receded the battalion was partially demobilised and merged with the 32 Battalion to form the 14/32nd Battalion. |   |
It was as the 14/32nd Battalion that the local enlistments from the Wonthaggi area took part in the amphibious Landing at Jaquinot Bay in New Britain and the successful attack on Bacon Hill for which the battalion was granted the Battle Honour of Waitavolo.
Mr Walsh said the battalion lost 31 killed and 46 wounded throughout the war and most of these casualties occurred during the battle of Waitavolo. The capture of Waitavolo was the last major operation against the Japanese in New Guinea.
Mr Walsh said the battalion lost 31 killed and 46 wounded throughout the war and most of these casualties occurred during the battle of Waitavolo. The capture of Waitavolo was the last major operation against the Japanese in New Guinea.
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The Battle of Waitavolo
Bacon Hill called Mount Sugi by the Japanese was the dominant feature in the south of the Gazelle Peninsula in New Britain near the Tol Plantation.
The Australian 19th Battalion captured some of the surrounding features before the 14/32nd Battalion relieved them and was tasked with capturing Bacon Hill itself. The battle itself was fought in dense jungle and movement was by a number of at times sniper covered tracks that could only be traversed in single file. Two Companies took part in the final assault from the South West scrambling up a steep jungle covered ridge under heavy fire. Australian War Memorial |
He said it was difficult to discern how many enlisted in Wonthaggi from the records he could access as they didn't specify place of original enlistment.
“Most were recorded as enlisting in Western Australia when the two battalions were merged. But I found one wounded soldier who was clearly from Wonthaggi – a McAlpine who listed his place of birth as Wonthaggi.” Cr Tim O’Brien and Cr Meg Edwards unveiled the plaque honouring the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers. “This humble plaque and what it commemorates is part of the Wonthaggi story,” said Cr O’Brien. “It ensures that the bravery and sacrifice of the 58/32 Battalion in the Battle of Waitavolo will not be forgotten.” |