Characters/historical figures
Doc – While the actions and character traits of the doctor in my story are fictitious, ‘Doc’ is loosely based on Dr Harold Dicks, the resident doctor stationed at Port Hedland during the war years. Dr Dicks did tend wounded patients after the Broome attack and he was returning from Marble Bar with a patient when Japanese aircraft strafed the Port Hedland airstrip. There was (to my knowledge) no dog on board the small single engine Swallow, and beyond these links to historical occurrences, Doc’s character has been imagined.
Reverend John Flynn, aided by Doctor Allan Vickers, established a network of flying doctor bases across the country, known as the Australian Inland Mission (AIM) Medical Service, and later called the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). This network was credited with providing a ‘mantle of safety’ for the outback. The Port Hedland Base was set up in 1935 with Dr Vickers in charge of the hospital there and in Marble Bar. Fred is a fictitious character. His name honours Fred Hull, the original radio operator at Port Hedland who served 37 years with the WA chapter of RFDS. Everett Bardwell was a Port Hedland radio operator. Len Taplin was a WWI flying ace who later flew for Western Australia Airways and became a leading citizen of Port Hedland.
Nursing staff – The staff members in this story are fictitious; however, I have used the name Joan in acknowledgment of the help given to me from Joan Foley, daughter of Matron Joan Arlborough. I’ve used the name Bonnie because there were two different nurses of that era called Bonnie.
Others – Mrs Kerr at Wallareenya Station is mentioned in Jenny Hardie’s Nor’Westers of the Pilbara Breed. Harold Mathieson (sometimes spelt Matheson) was captain of the refuelling ketch, Nicol (or Nicole) Bay. On 3 March 1942, Mathieson and Charlie D’Antoine showed enormous courage weaving through burning fuel to save Dutch survivors. Gus Winckel was a Dutch officer and pilot. After landing a planeload of Dutch refugees on Broome airstrip, Winckel managed to shoot down a Japanese fighter using a dismantled machine gun. Jimmy Woods was a well-known aviator responsible for daring airlifts and rescue operations.
Bombings in Northern Territory and Western Australia
Darwin was attacked by Japanese aircraft on 19 February 1942. Sometimes referred to as ‘Australia’s Pearl Harbor’, this was mainland Australia’s first air raid. Two attack waves resulted in 235 casualties and 300–400 wounded. Eleven ships and thirty aircraft were destroyed, as well as massive damage to homes and infrastructure. Darwin experienced further assaults during 1942 and 1943.
Wyndham and Broome both suffered air raids on 3 March 1942. By chance, pilot Jimmy Woods departed Wyndham moments before the first attack and was able to land just after the Japanese Zeroes left Broome. On 23 March Wyndham was bombed again. There were no casualties.
Broome air raid – Due to the urgent nature of evacuation from the Dutch East Indies and crammed aircraft, the exact number of fatalities and those injured in the Broome Attack is not known. Casualty estimates vary between 88 and over 100. Twenty-four aircraft were destroyed in about twenty minutes. Victims included many women and children. Hendrik is a fictitious character.
Aircraft, pedal radio and evacuations
Aircraft – During WWII a variety of aeroplanes were used to reach patients in the north-west and evacuate wounded. These include BA Swallow, Dragon, Lodestar and Electra.
Pedal radio – Alf Traeger invented the pedal-powered radio in the late 1920s. It was used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and brought a sense of community to remote stations. A single operator was able to generate power by pedalling with their feet, leaving their hands free to operate the radio.
Evacuations from north-west towns – After The Fall of Singapore, as Japanese air raids targeted north-western Australian towns, residents of the Pilbara and Kimberley began evacuating south.
Further evacuation occurred after the Broome raid. Wounded Dutch evacuees were airlifted to Port Hedland. Locals fled inland on trucks; some heading to Beagle Bay, others heading south. Impassable roads meant many fleeing residents returned to Broome.
World War II evacuees from Dutch East Indies – After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Dutch colonial government mobilised their East Indies forces, however their army was greatly outnumbered. Before surrendering on 9 March 1942, women and children were evacuated. Thousands of people passed through Broome and Port Hedland.
Places
Marble Bar
Marble Bar is known as the ‘hottest town’ in Australia, with consistently high temperatures in the summer months of over 38 degrees, often occurring for days on end. There really are anecdotal stories of freshly laid eggs cooking when they hit the hot ground. Marble Bar is home to a multitude of biting creatures and insects, including ants, mosquitoes, spiders, sandflies and huge bungarra. The Ironclad Hotel – Marble Bar’s first hotel – was erected in 1892 and retains the corrugated iron façade for which it was named.
Corunna Downs secret WWII airstrip
Construction began in 1942 and it became a base for US Army Corps (USAAC) 380th Bombardment Group Liberators and later for RAAF B-24 Liberators. It was situated 35 kilometres south of Marble Bar beside an ironstone ridge. During thunderstorms chain lightning bounced between hills and clouds because of the high iron content in rocks. Conditions at the base were extreme. In addition to searing temperatures, Corunna was home to scorpions and snakes, including the death adder. A natural heat haze helped protect the base from enemy aircraft.
Language
Language has changed since the 1940s. Few Australians these days use words like ‘struth’ and ‘tickety-boo’. The references to American soldiers as ‘Yanks’ was often said with laconic fondness, in a similar way that Australians were called ‘Aussies’. In contrast, more disparaging words were used for nationalities considered to be the enemy. Japanese soldiers were sometimes called ‘Japs’, but this is not acceptable usage today. This term has been used in the story not to offend, but to reflect the feeling of the day.