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( N . B. I do not know the author of the following letter but print it as found. I don´t think the author was A.B.D. since the author refers to "my Company and uses other Army terms.
A.P.D. 1985)
"Extract of letter received by E.L.Chandler from Rabaul dated 19/9/14
(Accompanied by H.M.A.S.s Sydney and Encounter and 2 submarines )
we then proceeded to Port Moresby where we arrived on
Saturday night 5th inst. , The warships coaled and submarines oiled; off we went again. Monday morning and sailed S. East still in the dark. We picked up the Australia second day out and eventually we arrived at Herbertshoe where there was a wireless station. They landed about 50 men out of about 2000 (shows how much they know) and they were at once attacked with the result that we lost Dr. Pockley and seaman Williams. After that disaster they landed 600 men and machine and field guns but the Germans surrendered. My Company did not land. On Saturday we were taken to Rabaul and landed after dark; we could have been cut to pieces but luckily there were no Germans about only tame ones. On Sunday last we advanced to the attack at daylight; my section leading
we did not come up with the enemy till about 4.30
p.m., then the beggars went mad, the officers lost their blocks I think and they started shooting one another. I was an outpost and
the bullets were whistling overhead a treat We retired back
to camp at dusk....In the meantime when the Germans saw that all the warboats and practically all the soldiers had left they doubled back and blew blazes out of them. It is only about 10 miles between the places. Well next morning there was a hell of row; the warboats were bombarding the place. We haven´t heard anything since. To tell you what sort of officers we have our own C.O., when the fighting was on all you could see of him was his eyes staring out of a donga about three miles behind the firing line, alright is´nt it ...."