Evacuations from New Guinea to Cairns in WW2

When the Japanese invaded in early 1942, most servicemen and civilians in the New Guinea islands were captured. However, some made dramatic escapes to Australia.

MV Lakatoi
The 243 ton Lakatoi was one of several small inter-island trading vessels owned by Burns Philp & Co. During late January 1942 when the Japanese occupied Rabaul and Kavieng in Papua New Guinea, MV Lakatoi was in the Witu Islands, near Gladys Baker’s Langu Plantation.

With the Japanese invasion, a white flag was initially raised to surrender the vessel. Instead, it was commandeered by the Australian administration.

Keith McCarthy, an Australian District Officer, helped evacuate civilians from Rabaul after the Japanese attack. He became aware of the MV Lakatoi’s location on 16 March. Gladys Baker had been a nurse in WWI and joined the evacuees to care for them and to help guide the Lakatoi through the surrounding coral reefs.

Those evacuated included Frank Holland and A L Robinson, survivors of the Tol Massacre on 4 February 1942.

A fleet of small boats, known as Harris’ Navy, under Patrol Officer ‘Blue’ Harris came across from Lae and ferried men from the north coast of West New Britain to Witu. These boats were manned by New Guinea Volunteer Rifles soldiers from the New Guinea mainland. On 21 March, exactly 2 months after the Japanese invasion of Rabaul, Lt-Col Carr, Captain Field, Captain ES Appel and 211 others board the Lakatoi to make a dash across hostile waters toward the mainland, and then down towards Australia.

Two days later, on 24 March 1942 they motored through the Trobriand Islands where they met up with another vessel, the Laurabada and obtained food and medical supplies. MV Laurabada collected 153 Rabaul survivors, 137 soldiers and 16 civilians, from Jacquinot Bay, New Britain. Laurabada evacuated her passengers to Port Moresby.

Lakatoi arrived at Samarai 25 March and continued on toward Australia. The boat was crowded but the food adequate. Cairns was sighted on 27 March 1942 and piloted into Cairns the next day.

214 people on board consisted of 162 AIF and NGVR troops, 6 NGAU. 6 European police, 16 civilians, 4 European crew, 18 native crew and two other natives.

MV Lakatoi later operated as a United States Navy ship during the South Pacific Campaign..

On 7 September 1943, while en route from Sydney bound for Noumea Harbor, she capsized and sank in a storm in the vicinity of New Caledonia during 1943.

Sources:

Australian War Memorial

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C48272

Papua New Guinea Association of Australia