by Lieutenant Ron S Read RAN (Rtd)
This is the story about some very brave people, AKA ‘Cloak and Dagger Men” (and 1 x Woman) who served in the South Pacific during WW 2.
During 1942 and 1943 particularly, Australian Coast Watchers brought the tide of Japanese invasion successes to a grinding halt. Here I will describe two key actions which indeed proved to be very significant, and to which history has recorded – ultimately saved Australia.
When war broke out 1939, the Director of Naval Intelligence worked to close the gaps in the coast watching service to meet War needs.
The peace-time organization had left gaps, rather like an in-complete fence with lots of left open gates!
So, a few months later, Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Eric Feldt, RANER was appointed Staff Officer (Intelligence), and posted to Port Moresby, and tasked with expanding the coast watching service to meet these needs.
After leaving the NAVY in 1922, Felt went to New Guinea and then Bougainville where he served as a Civil Servant for 16 + years.
To that end, he was regarded as an Islander, he knew so many other islanders, many planters and government officials, but most importantly, he was trusted by them, as he was trusted by so many natives including the native police.
Promoted to acting Commander (CMDR) and transferring back into the NAVY, his objective was to create and activate a ubiquitous web that would immediately give notice of any hostile force attempting to, or penetrating it.
Feldt knew the best candidates for this job, and they knew him!
In order to connect the chain of stations via radio which Feldt would establish, the Naval Board agreed to supply Type 3 tele-radios, manufactured by AWA, to those most likely to observe enemy shipping or aircraft on the condition that those persons would immediately report any item of intelligence value.
Each was instructed in his duties and was given a code in which to make his reports.
Initially, the code used was ‘Playfair’. Later a new cypher code known as ‘Bull’ was used.
By August 1942 there were over a hundred tele-radios in service, communicating on an exclusive frequency with either Pt. Moresby, Rabaul, Tulagi or Vila.
Until Japan’s entry into the War, the coast watching service was a civilian, static, defensive reporting system, designed to report incursions of an enemy into our territory.
Furthermore, in early 1942 when the question was raised about coast watchers remaining in the event that New Guinea and surrounding Islands be overrun by the Japanese, it was decided they would NOT remain!
This decision did not please the “Islanders” who had no intention of ever abandoning their territory!
The NAVY had made this decision despite the many requests CMDR Felt had made that his chosen Islander people, now serving as coast watchers be commissioned as Officers in the RANVR and continue in their coast watching duties.
When Japan entered the war in December 1941, the coast watchers immediately demonstrated their worth by transmitting air-raid warnings to the defenders on New Britain when Rabaul came under enemy attack.
Our garrison of some 1,484 Citizen Soldiers (AKA Lark Force) was too few, they were inadequately trained and lacked sufficient firepower, and there were no aircraft available, so unfortunately, New Britain fell into enemy hands in January 1942.
But it was now clear that the coast watchers would become the front line.
From early 1942 and for the ensuing 3 years almost all the coast watchers operated inside enemy territory; lived by their wits, and were always at great risk!
During this period, Japanese Army Patrols relentlessly scoured the jungle in order to root them out because they were considered spies.
Indeed, as the SW Pacific campaigns continued, they, the coast watchers would end up costing the enemy dozens of ships, and hundreds of aircraft together with significant loss of life.
Arguably, their vigilant real-time intelligence cost the enemy Port Moresby, Tulagi and Guadalcanal and ultimately, AUSTRALIA.
In early March 1942, the decision of coast watchers remaining was brought to a head when Mr. Percy Good, an elderly, well-known and much-liked copra planter on Buka Island was captured and killed.
Finally, the NAVY agreed that those in the field were to be given either a Rank or Rating in the RANVR, as this would afford some protection in the event they be captured. One can only hope, I suppose!
W J Read, a former Bougainville District Officer was one of them, who was immediately commissioned as a Lieutenant and went on to serve with distinction.
He was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (D S C).
Now, on March 3rd, just 6 weeks after the fall of New Britain, the Japanese occupied Lae and Salamaua, and by mid-March they had occupied the Buka Passage and the Shortland Islands, as they continued moving south into the Solomon Islands.
The following month, April 1942, General Douglas MacArthur assumed Supreme Command of the SW Pacific, and so it was determined then that coast watchers along with other similar organizations which included volunteer & seconded A I F personnel, would be placed under General Headquarters Command as the Allied Intelligence Bureau, with coast watchers becoming part of M – Special unit – Operation Ferdinand – non-combatants!
Lieutenant Read on Bougainville and Major Kennedy on New Georgia were the FIRST coast watchers to observe and report enemy shipping approaching the Tulagi.
As it turned out, these ships were part of the I J N’s Fourth Fleet with about 6,000 troops embarked on their way to capture Tulagi and then rendezvous with the remainder of the Fourth Fleet, which was then to a set course through the Coral Sea to seize and occupy Port Moresby.
However, a day later, US Naval Forces attacked which developed into the Battle of the Coral Sea, May 4 – 8, 1942.
After 4 days of continuous carrier-borne aircraft engagements from both sides, the outcome was Japan’s first naval repulse, following their series of conquests during their thrust from the northern to the southern hemisphere.
But, in spite of their losses, I J F occupied Tulagi and soon after, commenced constructing an airfield on the Island for their long-range Bombers, as they did when they reached Guadalcanal.
At the same time, the Japanese also extended their holdings from the Shortland Islands to Buin which soon became a major base.
Lieutenant Paul Mason RANVR, a former planter from Bougainville moved down to observe, and gave a daily tally of Japanese shipping in the harbour, while Lieutenant Read continued to watch Buka Passage.
Before the US attack on Tulagi and Guadalcanal, the Japanese positions were under constant observation.
The strength of his forces known, as well as the routes he would use for counter-attack and reinforcement, because these were also under surveillance.
The nearest enemy air bases were at Rabaul and Kavieng, and aircraft from these bases would fly over Bougainville on their way to Guadalcanal, and so they would be observed and reported by the coast watchers.
By now United States Navy Carriers were tied into the coast watcher frequency, so they too would receive warnings in real-time, and these warnings themselves were delivered in plain language.
The attack achieved perfect surprise. Tulagi and Guadalcanal were taken within hours.
Then came a signal from Lieutenant Mason on Bougainville stating that 24 torpedo bombers were on the way.
This gave about two hours warning, allowing allied warships to prepare to meet the attack.
Transports got underway, and destroyers were disposed with their guns at the ready, so the enemy aircraft flew into a trap, with all but one being shot down.
The next day, Lieutenant Read gave warning of 45 enemy dive bombers with a fighter escort on their way and they were met by US carrier-borne fighters.
The attack was broken up with heavy casualties to the enemy, and only one allied ship was hit.
For the next few days, warnings preceded each attack, resulting in extremely high enemy aircraft and air-crew losses.
The warnings from Lieutenant’s Mason & Read had proved absolutely vital.
A week after the landing on Guadalcanal, Lieutenant Mackenzie RANR and Lieutenant Train RANVR established themselves near the airfield.
Soon afterwards the airfield became operative and several U S N Grumman hellcats were flown in.
As the enemy began attacking again, Mackenzie received the warnings and passed them on, so again there were always United States Navy fighters in the sky to meet the enemy bombers.
In spite of their losses, the enemy air attacks continued and the base was sometimes shelled at night.
The Japanese counter-attack culminated in November when a large convoy set out, preceded by a force which even included battleships to land troops on Guadalcanal.
The concentration of shipping and its movements had been observed by the coast watchers on Bougainville, so that allied forces were ready to meet the enemy which was defeated with very heavy losses.
As indicated, Buin had become the base from which enemy shipping and aircraft moved against Guadalcanal, but Buin could not be seen, so it was necessary to land 2 x coast watchers on Vella Lavella, and 2 on Choiseul.
These men would have a perfect view of ALL enemy movements.
Soon afterwards, the Japanese established a base at Munda where Major Kennedy’s native scouts kept them under observation, and another coast watcher was inserted on Rendova Island, where he too, had a perfect view of Munda airfield and its harbour.
Parties continued to keep watch on the coast between Buna and Salamaua, calling up aircraft to attack enemy barges and landing parties.
Our attacks on them were so relentless, that it resulted in their supply chain becoming completely disorientated and disorganised, with more barges and equipment ending on the sea-bed than had actually landed.
Plans were in train at this time to attack Salamaua and Lae, just as soon as Buna was taken back from the enemy.
To provide air warnings to cover this operation, coast watcher parties were required on New Britain, and along the routes which would be followed by the enemy aircraft.
CMDR Feldt dispatched coast watchers from Saidor to carry out this task, but the Japanese had occupied many of the points selected before Buna fell, resulting in 4 coast watchers including Lieutenant Train RANVR being killed, and the rest driven back to Saidor.
In all these cases men were fired upon from just a few yards. Most had miraculous escapes, which was often due to poor marksmanship of the enemy troops.
Three additional coast watchers were landed to assist Lieutenant’s Read and Mason on Bougainville.
At this time, all civilians and all the Missionaries were also evacuated, both by a USN Submarine and a PT Boat.
A further party was landed on New Britain to keep watch on the Barges and Submarines running the enemy’s supplies from Rabaul to Lae.
In the Solomon’s, coast watchers led reconnaissance parties to Munda and Rendova, scouting the area which was to be attacked.
A further post was established on Kolombangara Island overlooking its small airfield.
By this time, when enemy aircraft set out to attack Guadalcanal, they were reported by coast watcher post after coast watcher post, so that we probably had a more accurate E T A than the pilots flying the enemy bombers did themselves.
I should also point out that a subsidiary operation, which developed into one of great importance, was the rescue of shot-down Allied Airmen.
Throughout the Solomon Islands, the natives were loyal and helpful and would lead all allied airmen to the nearest coast watcher post, where they were cared for until they could be sent out by either the aircraft or launch.
Shot down Japanese Airman were not so quite fortunate, however!
On Bougainville, the I J A had finally had enough, and so a decision was taken to liquidate every single coast watcher on the Island.
Believe it or not – thousands of troops were deployed for this operation.
They scoured the jungle, intimidated the natives, burned their villages, destroyed their crops; and they did succeed in driving the coast watchers from their posts, until evacuation from the Island became an absolute imperative.
This was carried out under cover of darkness on several nights by a USN submarine
Lieutenant’s Read and Mason had been on the island for seventeen months.
Coastwatchers were supported by all three services, and as mentioned previously, and when available, RAAF aircraft dropped food, replacement radios parts and other needed equipment.
And again, without this co-operation, coast watchers would have been gravely handicapped.
A United States Navy Submarine and a PT Boat transported many of them around the Islands, Inlets and Coves from where they would set up their observation posts.
Importantly, the assistance and loyalty provided by the natives proved invaluable during the Pacific Island campaigns.
These people performed a vital role in guerrilla operations as well as intelligence gathering, and furthermore so many functioned as ‘Carriers’.
A small Australian Army Signals Unit, the New Guinea Air Warning Wireless Company, also played a critical role operating as a single entity between February 1942 and the end of the War.
By October 1943 they had 75 outposts in New Guinea and surrounding Islands in the SW Pacific.
All members of the unit were volunteers and their unit colour patch, a double BLACK diamond, later became the Commandoinsignia.
The unit was disbanded at the conclusion of the War, and its members have been commemorated with a plaque that can be found on the grounds at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
More than 500 personnel served as the EYES of the SW Pacific during WW 2.
They comprised:
- 158 Navy including 1 X WRANS Officer – Third Officer Mrs. Ruby Boye who operated a Teleradio on Vanikoro Island for almost 4 years without relief.
- 279 volunteer and seconded A.I.F. personnel
- 10 x volunteer and seconded RAAF Officers
- 5 x RNZN Ratings
- 7 x US Marines
- 22 x US Army personnel
- 13 Civilians
- 8 x British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force personnel, including District Officer Mr. Clemmons and Major Kennedy.
- 38 Coastwatchers were killed by the enemy during SW Pacific action.
Apart from their vital role of intelligence gathering, coast watchers also rescued:
75 prisoners of war; 321 downed allied airmen; 280 sailors; 190 missionaries and civilians; 100’s of local people who had risked their lives for the Allies.
One of those rescued by the way was United States Navy Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, whose PT 109 was carved in two by a Japanese destroyer in the waters off the Solomon Islands. After the sinking, Kennedy and some his crew reached Kolombangara Island where they were found by coast watcher, Sub-Lieutenant (SBLT) Reggie Evans RANVR, who organised their rescue.
Many years later, President Kennedy entertained Lieutenant Evans at the White House.
The success of the coast watchers was largely due to the experience of the personnel.
Nearly all had lived in the New Guinea or on the Islands and so they all felt right at home in the jungle. As Commander Feldt had often said:
‘It is easy to teach a man how to operate a Tele-radio – it is much harder to teach him how to survive in the jungle, the New Guinea jungle’’
In his book, Commander Feldt also made this remark
We had a lot of help from the enemy.
He was not very sagacious because he did not realise the damage that was being done to him, and many times neglected to take measures against coast watchers, and so, by his own actions, he alienated native sympathy.
Commander Eric Feldt RAN had been remarkable for his ability to get the best out of his coast watchers – those rugged individualists known as islander’s.
Expecting loyalty, he also gave it, and never ever spared himself.
He was awarded the Order of the British Empire and retired from the NAVY at the end of 1945.
Many of his personally chosen former Islanders and Planters who were commissioned into the RANVR were awarded the D S C, including Lieutenant’s Paul Mason and W J Read RANVR.
In all – 15 DSC’s were awarded to CMDR Feldt’s RANVR Officers
In noting the critical role coast watchers played, USN Admiral Frank Halsey at the conclusion of the South Pacific campaigns stated:
