MOROTAI

MOROTAI-JAPAN

With the conclusion of the war in the Pacific in 1945, Australia was committed to provide troops for occupation duties in Japan.

This brought about the raising of the 34th Australian Infantry Brigade with the major components being the 65th, 66th and 67th Australian Infantry Battalions. 65 Battalion was raised out of 7th Division at Balikpapan and sailed to Morotai on HMS 303. By the middle of June 1946 the brigade was in place, with the 65th Battalion located at Fukuyama/Onomichi, 150km South of Osaka.

A major task ahead of 34 Brigade was the searching for and destruction of warlike equipments. Much of the area was honeycombed with caves and tunnels and large quantities of explosives, ammunition and poison gas were discovered.

The surveillance of Japanese elections in April 1946 was a most important task as well. In addition to this, there were a number of repatriation centres in the area which handled incoming Japanese nationals and outgoing Koreans and Formosans requiring close attention.

In line with the formative plan to raise an Interim Army, the battalions were re-designated as of the Australian Regiment in 1948, and in 1949 received the prefix "Royal", becoming the Royal Australian Regiment .First Battalion was initially settled in at Ingleburn, later moved to Enoggera and Holsworthy and has finally found its home at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville.

Onomichi 1946
Front: Colin East OC D Coy, Dick Marson CO 65 Bn.
Rear: Lt Osbalderton, David Thomson, Lt Klustadt, Lt Wally Flood.

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I was IO of 1RAR when it returned to Korea for its second tour of duty in April 1954. As part of the re-organization involving the return to Australia of 3RAR at the end of 1954, I was posted to 1RHU, Hiro in Japan. Back at the MQ's at Enoggera my wife Heather immediately announced she was off to Japan with Ferne our 18mths old daughter. Wives were not supposed to be there and despite much discouragement, including a visit by the wife of the GOC N Comd, Heather and Ferne embarked on a Swedish freighter and arrived at Nagoya at midnight Christmas Eve 1954. This was financed by the sale of our little 1948 Ford Prefect which provided enough funds only for the forward journey.

It was in the early hours of Christmas morning on the eighth floor of our hotel when we smelt smoke. Investigated, no room telephones in those days, no one else in sight, to find smoke billowing up the only staircase we could find. Our worst fears realised. Wet towels around our faces, clutching Ferne to bosom one or the other, down the stairs to a level where we found a broken window with the smoke pouring in from a smaller building on fire next door. Absolute relief. So passed Heather and Fernes first night in Japan.

On to Kure where I had found a modest Japanese dwelling in the suburb of Atago Cho. Deposited Heather and Ferne and went off to some overnight duty at RHU, leaving them alone. Of course that would be the night to experience our first earthquake, minor as it was. Returned home the following night to find the house in some disarray and with minor damage. Heather had been petrified and Ferne slept through it.

Some days later returning from work sirens alerted me to a house fire on the hillside in our area. It was the house next door. Forcing my way through the crowd in the narrow street I found Heather and Ferne and the firemen in the process of putting out the fire which had spread to our roof. Heather tells of desperately trying to decide on and collect items and clothing we would need to survive, putting them in a bag whilst Ferne happily threw them out. After all the excitement we were able to re-occupy the house , have a whiskey, and Heather resumed cooking dinner on the hibachi (about the size of a medium flower pot filled with charcoal). We then rolled out our futon on the tatami matting and slept well.

In the next twelve months there were a few more house fires, many tremors and minor earthquakes, no supermarket, no refrigeration, no sewerage, no car, but Heather the homemaker took this in her stride as nothing quite matched that first week in a foreign country. The word passed around and a few wives from Australia and Britain made their way to JAPAN. Service wives - marvellous aren't they?

22181 Brian Kelly

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Original 65 Bn Camp Fukuyama

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On the left is "Drover Dick" Marson, First CO of 65 Inf Bn and "Clancy" Scholes, RSM 65 Inf Bn/1RAR July '46-June'49. Fukuyama. Photo taken just after Clancy's 24th birthday.

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Imperial Palace Guard Tokyo 1947. QX 37580 Sgt Bill Habermann Ex 2/12 Bn.
Right Marker is Noel Buckby - Guard came from D Coy and Mortar Platoon.