OCTOBER 5, 1943
AIR RAID ON TROBRIAND & GOODENOUGH ISLANDS

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PHOTOS AND EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS.

Leslie Braund - Equipment Officer.

October 5, five aircraft on operations, all safe. Air raid on Goodenough, no damage.

George Dusting - Fitter IIE.

October 5, day off and went to Salis’s village. Had a raid last night. When the Alert sounded we sat out in front of our tent and watched them do Kiriwina over, but shortly afterwards they came at us. They circled a couple of times with our ack ack kicking up a hell of a din and then we got a wonderful grandstand view of a stick of bombs bursting right along the strip. They didn’t seem to get any kites. The flash from the bombs was vivid and the concussion shook our tent. We haven’t got a trench so we lay on the floor.

Laurie Crouch - Fitter/Armourer.

October 5, drew some roofing nails for our beaut ammo shack. Made a couple of watchbands; put roof on shack and stacked ammo in orderly fashion; buried some wet ammo. Saw Clem Harrington; just arrived. A19-97 did test flight; fired guns and cannons. Serviced the crate. A Beaufort pranged at the far end of the strip. Dave Beasley arrived. First proceeds of watchbands in today. A red Alert at night when 3 Japs came over; the first was a decoy and dropped one bomb; the others dropped about 10 a fair way away. Yank A/A and searchlight crews given the sack by us; only opened fire after the Japs had gone, and the lights did not pick the raiders up. Put a lovely group up then. Raid No 34. Before that we watched a raid on the Trobriand Island; A/A flashes clearly visible up in the air, and some minutes later we could hear the dull thuds of the bursting bombs. A distance of about 60 miles over water. Alert lasted two hours. Lesson No 7 arrived back. Supper then bed.

Don Kirkwood - Navigator.

October 5, Tuesday, average day. Spent morning at the pool. Received two letters today. Had an air raid this evening. We heard the bombs coming and exploding. An eerie sound with a lot of noise. Nil damage.