The Kokoda Track

Calm Before the Storm

Dear Ma,

I hope Pop and yourself are in the best of health also the rest of the family. I wrote to Harry Lawler and gee I was sorry that I never wrote before. He is a great fellow Harry worth half day of the usual run of fellows. How are things progressing down at dear old Botany? Conditions here are terrible, the damn camp is like a pig-stye mud and slosh every where you walk. Our rations allow us one tin of bully beef to every three men, one loaf of bread between six and a quart of water per. man per. day. Remember me to all the neighbours, friends, Billy and Lola also young Johnny. Well, Ma I shall have to close now as I have just ran out of news for the present, so hoping this finds all the family and yourself in the best of health. So cherrio.

Your Loving Son,

Jack

P.S. Send Mark's address across and I will drop him a line. Has his leg improved any yet? You can also tell Les Russell my address as I have forgotten his.

"Good news boys, some mail." I look up from my letter to see Sam walking towards the three of us lounging on the ground. "Jimmy," Sam said handing a letter over, I passed it along to Jim next to me. "Jack, Max." The three of us quickly scanned our letters.

"What's it say?" I asked Jim. He looked at the letter in barely contained excitement.

"Richmond 175, Collingwood 37." Jim exclaimed happily.

We all cheered. At least we have one way to keep our spirits that brings a feeling of home to this unforgiving situation.

It's 1942 and I'm part of the 39th Battalion, positioned in Papua New Guinea to stall the Japs till the reinforcements arrive to take over. We are in the village of Isurava on the Kokoda track and have been waiting for two weeks now for the AIF to relieve us. Us in the 39th Battalion are called "chocos" (chocolate soldiers) because the AIF thinks that we will melt in the heat of battle. We were sent here to unload ships and dig roads. With little to no training, weak from hunger and lack of sleep, most of us suffering from malaria or dysentery, outnumbered ten to one and not enough equipment to last us long, we are all that's here to protect Australia against invasion by the Japanese. Even though everyone tries to stay positive we all know that they will attack any day now, and we are waiting to be slaughtered.

"Hey Jack," Max shook me from my thoughts, "we're going out again tonight. Weapons check in half and hour."

"Okay, thanks mate." I said in appreciation. Looking around I could see that while everyone tried to look relaxed and not phased by what we had to do, I could tell that they were all just as scared as me. I took out my bayonet to sharpen and I saw Jim fiddling with his riffle. After all our weapons had been checked and the short brief was over we got up and moved out. Our small group of soldiers trudged through the dense jungle that covers Papua New Guinea.

We passed injured soldiers being carried on stretchers by the natives that we had allied ourselves with. Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, that's what we called the natives to New Guinea. The injuries were horrible, but we had all seen similar injuries from soldiers already brought back to camp to be treated with the nonexistent supplies that we had there. From diseases to loss of limbs to injuries much worse.

Setting up quickly I sat there is the small trenches that had been dug out riffle loaded and cocked. We had to crouch there in sludge up to our ankles just staring into the thick undergrowth for any sign of movement. Flies and mosquitoes buzzed around us. Any sound made us jump. All of us knew the Japanese were going to be upon us soon and it set everyone on edge. Next to me Jim was rubbing a cross a sign of faith hoping it would get him out alive. These were selfish thoughts, but I knew that everyone including myself was all thinking the same thoughts. 'Please Lord, let me survive this I don't want to die.' This was the calm before the storm.