Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 10, 2021 16:56:45 GMT 12
SEARCH FOR N.Z. AIRMEN
DANGEROUS WORK IN JUNGLES
CHRISTCHURCH MAN BACK FROM ISLANDS
From Our Own Reporter WELLINGTON, August 31.
After visiting every island in the British Solomons and traversing the Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, New Ireland, and New Guinea in a search for missing personnel and aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Flight Sergeant J. R. Begg, of Christchurch, has returned to New Zealand.
Eight months’ hazardous work in the islands resulted in the recovery of the remains of two as yet unknown Royal New Zealand Air Force pilots. Flight Sergeant Begg, who was accompanied by an American party, said in an interview in Wellington that there might still be others to be found in the remote jungle wilderness of some of the islands.
Much of the region covered by the party had already been searched by Royal Australian Air Force parties but all their finds were revisited and checked to ensure that there had been no mistakes and to discover aircraft numbers which the Australians had been unable to find. This work resulted in the identification of some airmen who had been buried as unknown.
The Americans made available a small freighter for the operation, but sometimes it was unable to approach close to islands which had to be visited and the party was forced to row several miles ashore. Once a small boat was overturned and the men had to swim for a mile in shark-infested waters.
Poisonous Snakes in Jungle
In the jungles, the party had to contend with poisonous snakes and narrow escapes were numerous. The largest snake killed was nearly 10 feet long. Poisonous stinging plants, leeches, crocodiles, and malarial mosquitoes menaced the searchers every day and night in the jungle.
Most of the work was done in the rainy season when the rivers were swollen torrents. At Ataliklikun Bay in New Britain the party had to ford 19 streams to reach their objective high in the mountains.
The party was based on Finschafen, where there was a large American war cemetery, but they visited also the Australian cemeteries at Lae, Bomana (Port Moresby), and Rabaul. At these places they checked information that had been given to them. Although the remains of only two New Zealand airmen were found, the quest was considered successful for the work that was done may lead to the recovery of others.
One unavailing search was made for a New Zealand pilot who had been captured by the Japanese and beheaded. The story was told the searchers by the natives, who co-operated most willingly with the party. The story of this man’s fate had been told natives by two Catholic priests who had buried him beneath a tree on the trunk of which they had carved his name. The priests themselves were later beheaded and the party was unable to discover the tree in spite of a most painstaking search.
PRESS, 2 SEPTEMBER 1947
DANGEROUS WORK IN JUNGLES
CHRISTCHURCH MAN BACK FROM ISLANDS
From Our Own Reporter WELLINGTON, August 31.
After visiting every island in the British Solomons and traversing the Bismarck Archipelago, New Britain, New Ireland, and New Guinea in a search for missing personnel and aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Flight Sergeant J. R. Begg, of Christchurch, has returned to New Zealand.
Eight months’ hazardous work in the islands resulted in the recovery of the remains of two as yet unknown Royal New Zealand Air Force pilots. Flight Sergeant Begg, who was accompanied by an American party, said in an interview in Wellington that there might still be others to be found in the remote jungle wilderness of some of the islands.
Much of the region covered by the party had already been searched by Royal Australian Air Force parties but all their finds were revisited and checked to ensure that there had been no mistakes and to discover aircraft numbers which the Australians had been unable to find. This work resulted in the identification of some airmen who had been buried as unknown.
The Americans made available a small freighter for the operation, but sometimes it was unable to approach close to islands which had to be visited and the party was forced to row several miles ashore. Once a small boat was overturned and the men had to swim for a mile in shark-infested waters.
Poisonous Snakes in Jungle
In the jungles, the party had to contend with poisonous snakes and narrow escapes were numerous. The largest snake killed was nearly 10 feet long. Poisonous stinging plants, leeches, crocodiles, and malarial mosquitoes menaced the searchers every day and night in the jungle.
Most of the work was done in the rainy season when the rivers were swollen torrents. At Ataliklikun Bay in New Britain the party had to ford 19 streams to reach their objective high in the mountains.
The party was based on Finschafen, where there was a large American war cemetery, but they visited also the Australian cemeteries at Lae, Bomana (Port Moresby), and Rabaul. At these places they checked information that had been given to them. Although the remains of only two New Zealand airmen were found, the quest was considered successful for the work that was done may lead to the recovery of others.
One unavailing search was made for a New Zealand pilot who had been captured by the Japanese and beheaded. The story was told the searchers by the natives, who co-operated most willingly with the party. The story of this man’s fate had been told natives by two Catholic priests who had buried him beneath a tree on the trunk of which they had carved his name. The priests themselves were later beheaded and the party was unable to discover the tree in spite of a most painstaking search.
PRESS, 2 SEPTEMBER 1947
