Uss peary, sunk at darwin 1942. (1 Viewer)

[waynepoo]

Today we in Australia we commemorate the bombing of Darwin on the 19th February 1942, I hope that Tom who is a Darwin resident will post about the celebrations there. I just wish to acknowledge in this post, the loss of USS Peary and most of her crew in Darwin harbour as well as all who lost their lives that fateful morning 70 years ago. LEST WE FORGET.
Wayne.

 

[Jack]

Today we in Australia we commemorate the bombing of Darwin on the 19th February 1942, I hope that Tom who is a Darwin resident will post about the celebrations there. I just wish to acknowledge in this post, the loss of USS Peary and most of her crew in Darwin harbour as well as all who lost their lives that fateful morning 70 years ago. LEST WE FORGET.
Wayne.

Interesting that the bombing of Darwin hasn't really made it into the calendar of military related events that people are conscious of each year as it rolls around. It is not just because it was a shambles. I could understand not wanting to remember a failure, but we have never been shy in Australia about celebrating losing - just look at Gallipoli, although a longer event and perhaps (in our minds) the failure could be attributed to others. Had Wayne not started a thread I could have shuffled through the morning's papers and had no idea that it was the 70th Anniversary. Gallipoli and Kokoda just seem to overwhelm everything - even the heavy fighting we participated in during repulse of the German Offensive in 1918 or Tobruk in WW2.

 

[GICOP]

This is on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17073472

Cheers

Martyn

 

[Mitch]

Thanks for the link. Makes for compelling reading!!
Mitch

This is on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17073472

Cheers

Martyn

 

[Rob]

Here's to the memory of all those killed in the raid on Darwin 70 years ago today. I heard a fascinating item about this on BBC Radio 4 the other morning, in which it describes how the Australian government kept a lid on this until a month later to avoid panicking or alarming the public. A tatic the Brits also employed after the Bethnal Green tube disaster. Was a very interesting report and was good to learn a little about what happened in Darwin that day. (I understand you guys in Darwin have a new War museum ??)

Rob

 

[Simpson & his donkey.]

Australian and American service man died this day and alot of the good people of Darwin. This was the first raid of many . Simmo.