Bombing of Darwin commemorations mark 75th anniversary since Japanese attacks
Updated
Survivors and veterans of the bombing of Darwin 75 years ago have been honoured for their role in preserving freedom and rebuilding peace, at a ceremony in Darwin to mark the anniversary.
About 5,000 people and dignitaries from several countries, including Japan, gathered at Darwin Cenotaph as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull thanked those who played a role in World War II.
"Today, we pay tribute to those who died, to those who survived and fought on, to those who lost mates and family," Mr Turnbull told the crowd.
"We are honoured, all of us, the leaders of the nation, of the Territory, of the city, all of us honoured to be in the company of you, veterans and survivors of that day.
"We, your sons and daughter, stand in awe at the selflessness, courage and sacrifice of your generation.
"You won the war. You saved the nation. You preserved and defended our freedom. And then, with forgiveness, you built the peace. We salute you."
The attacks by Japanese bombers on February 19, 1942, devastated the US Navy and was the largest loss of life in Australian waters in history.
The most commonly cited figure is 243 killed and at least 500 injured or missing, but because many people were buried in hurried graves on beaches or at sea, it is unlikely the true number of dead will ever be known.
The attacks involved 188 aircraft launched from four Japanese aircraft carriers located in the Timor Sea, followed by a second wave of 54 land-based bombers, supported by more than a dozen ships, destroyers and submarines.
The attacks on northern Australia continued for almost another two years.
Defining moment in our history
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the bombing of Darwin was a defining moment in Australia's history.
"Where Australians realised that they were not invulnerable to the conflict sweeping the rest of the world. Hundreds of Australians died," he said.
A ceremony was held at the USS Peary memorial on The Esplanade to honour 91 servicemen from the US Navy that were killed when their destroyer sank after being bombed by four Japanese aircraft.
At Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin about 120 people gathered to remember the deaths of more than 70 wharfies and seafarers who died during the bombing.
Veteran still haunted by events
Basil Stahl, 94, was a surveyor at the time of the bombing and remembers it clearly.
"I was sitting on the edge of the slip trench with sandbags on it about to have my morning tea and coffee and they bloody flew over and that upset my coffee, I didn't have my coffee that morning," Mr Stahl said.
Mr Stahl said the events of World War II still haunted him at times, as he remembered all his comrades who have now died.
'People don't know what happened'
Mervyn Fox was part of the Z Special Unit in WWII that was formed to operate behind Japanese lines in South East Asia.
His role was delivering intelligence from operatives to bases in Darwin, having to ride a bike through the darkness with the messages.
"People interstate don't know anything about what happened up here," Mr Fox said.
Alice Briston, 84, was a child on Croker Island off the Northern Territory coast when she saw the Japanese bombers flying towards Darwin.
"They were waving and I waved back to them," Ms Briston recalled.
"That was the first enemy plane that flew over."
'They saved us'
Today's crowd included a diverse array of people, from the elderly to the young, who are now taught about the bombing in school.
"They saved a lot of us so that we could be here today," 12-year-old Patrick Newbery said of the veterans at the ceremony.
A number of Marines, dignitaries and veterans all attended the service and wreaths were laid in their memory.
A re-enactment of the events was held at 9:58am, the minute that the Japanese attack began.
Thirty aircraft were destroyed during the events of 1942, nine ships in Darwin Harbour and two outside were sunk, and some of the civil and military facilities in Darwin were destroyed.
The Japanese launched 77 attacks on the Top End until November 1943.
Topics: world-war-2, history, community-and-society, darwin-0800, australia, nt
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