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[Page 133]
[Letter from William Holmes to E.C. Eliot, Resident Commissioner, Gilbert & Ellice Islands Protectorate]
Sydney,
8th February, 1915.
Dear Mr, Eliot,
Your letter of 18th January, I have received today and as the Pronto is advertised to leave again tomorrow, I must write to you at once.
On the 28th November last, as the military work in German New Guinea outside of purely garrison work was finished, and as I had no desire to remain on at Rabaul as Civil Administrator, I asked to be relieved, and to return to Australia with my command for a further term of service in Europe. I received a reply to this request by wireless on 7th January, handed over the administration to Colonel Pethebridge on 8th and sailed on the 9th for Australia in the "Eastern" with about 300 of my force, so that you will see I lost no time. Pethebridge happened to be at Rabaul, so the time was opportune.
Pethebridge's presence at Rabaul was due to a rather peculiar set of circumstances. You will remember Dr. Haber by the terms and conditions of surrender, handed over to me, the whole of the German possessions in the Pacific, both North and South of the the line. I occupied with troops, all the groups south of the Equator, and had all my dispositions ready, troops detailed, instructions prepared as far back as September to occupy Yap, Ponape, Jaluit, etc., but unfortunately Vice Admiral Patey would not take me there. It was therefore, determined by the Australian Government in November last, after the German Cruisers in the Pacific had been accounted for, to organise a Tropical force of 200 to garrison these northern islands, and Colonel Pethebridge, Secretary for Defence, was
/appointed (1).