Diary of Geoffrey Hampden Vernon - Part 3

I0.

25 Nov - 3rd March. ^1943 The diary form can now be/dropped and these
final reports of the campaign grouped together.
Popondetta now became my head quarters for practically the
rest of my term of front line service. This village was not
really Popondetta at all, the original village of that name ly-

some 3 miles closer to Buna.  At first the proper name of 
Bobadura was in use but it was probably, wrongly, changed to 
Popondetta so as to not to confuse it with Dobadura, near Oro B. 
[*(I) Kousa
Insert A,1, 2,*]
I found N. M .Ord. Kousa working here, he had escaped from the
[*A. [[bush?]]
might

right
who
was only
becoming
a new
inpatient
station.*]
Japs in July while on Bitmead's staff and had crossed the range 
to Abau. From the (very) start we were faced with a number of
very serious cases and were bombed early in December, one or 
two carriers being slightly wounded. Then we received nearly
I00 Rabaul boys in the last stages of exhaustion and semi-star-

vation.  I went forward to Soputa  which was still unattended
and arranged with W.O.Barnes, who had accompanied the U.S. col-

oumn over the Rigo route, to attend to ^TREAT any serious cases there
if called upon by ANGAU station O.C. Later W.O. Smith 
took over the work at Soputa and further visits became unnecessary.
[*(2) Bombing
at Sobuta*] 
The number of patients now handled necessitated the building
of a/new hospital which was placed in the jungle well hidden
from plane reconnaissance. We moved into it on Dec 7th and
Lieut. Capt Kienzle had asked that the Rabaul refugees should be set
to make gardens and grow some of their own food, but They were
never strong enough however to attempt any cultivation. Many
of them were so weak on admission as to make recovery impossible,
& the term " Walking Skeletons " could have been appropriately ap-

plied to many (of them). Some were not more than twelve years
of age and were already ruined in health. The daily average of 
the hospital rose quickly to 300 and then decreased to a fairly
constant 250. During this period, case after case passed away,
probably 50 all told during the existence of the hospital.  Dys-

entery, Malaria, Pneumonia, and Cachexia formed the bulk of the
cases, and most were so broken in spirit as to make no effort
to help themselves. I think many were glad to die, yet we had
ample drugs and nourishing foods, and sufficient staff to give 
them proper attention. We also had a number of worn out car-

riers from the Moresby side who had been working for months on
the Owen Stanley route. & Between Ist of January and mid February,
over I00 of these over range carriers were evacuated by plane
to/Moresby. Many seemed to have but a slender chance of recovery
but the psychological effect of starting a sick boy back on the
home trail was surprisingly good, & Some lives were saved [*undoubtedly*] by a 
timely promise that they would be sent back to Moresby.
Our supply of drugs and medical comforts was excellent, we had
quantities of C.L.O. and many forms of strengthening foods; all
anxiety on the score of supplies was at an end.

53
my the list again & discovered that I had only seen 6 of
the 7 names submitted. The passengers were still
detained in the smoke room, the captain, a very bland
old Mongol covered with ^naval ribbons was sedately
watching the proceedings., and me; I turned to the
Japanese doctor & told him one of the passengers was
missing. He met me with solemn stare of 
miscomprehension. [Put on a puzzled [[?air & affected to puzzled air?]] & said he did not
understand me. I repeated my statement, he still did
not understand declined to grasp what I was complaining about. I
quickly counted xxxx guessed something was WRONG deception was being offered 
- deception & almost instantaneously secured hostility
in everyone in the room, present even in the English passengers looked as if to [[would ?? me?]] (as
well). [[?onboard]] The Captain wore whose face was fixed in an inscrutable Japanese stare
& I realised [[I think?]] he was actively pulling my leg & watching
me as a cat a mouse, as I went over to him & said, "I am
sorry Captain, but one of your passengers is missing", &
until I examine him I must decline to sign your 
papers". The doctor & I again checked the list 
but which of the 17 people on it that who was absent I
could not place nor he would help me in the least
degree. [He merely dipped the pen in the well again
[[?what story and?  ??wanted to see what I 
would do next?]]
& waited, we all waited for five solid minutes I began
to understand to what [[?lengths?]] the Japanese wonder kindness and
hostility could soar. I again told the captain I would not agree [until?] after & [?There was no telling ?? the for at??]
but to wait till the enemy made a move. Suddenly
a stout red faced English woman in a vivid blue dress [[?]]
jumped up, advanced in a most threatening manner
towards me & shouted "I'm disgusted" at me & she then walked
out of the smoke room. This broke the opposition[[?]], the
doctor said "Please come with me & we followed the
xxxx lady to one of the cabins where she pointed to a little
girl of 3 calmly sleeping in the berth. "I am surprised
you should want to disturb my childs rest"[[?^We???]] & she
cried. "Madame" I retorted "You had only to tell me she the child was
here & I would have gone down to see her at once."
As it is, you are responsible in delaying the ship" 

II.
I was frequently visited by the medical liaison officer who
arranged our supplies and gave us every assistance, & This was
supplementted by further supplies [*Later*] from A.D.M.S. ANGAU.
On Xmas Day, every patient received a present from Friends of 
the Fuzzy Wuzzies in Brisbane.
[*(3 )
[I guess too yhoung*]
Early in December we had two tragedies at Popondetta. The
first was the shooting of a P.I.B. boy by an European N.C.O.
I hurried to the spot, found the boy still alive and took him
to 2/I6th F.  Amb at Soputa for operation, but he died a few
minutes after admission. I reported the occurrence to Lieut. Capt.
Kienzle. A day or so after, one of our delirious hospital
patients wandered out in the night and was shot by a U.S.
sentry. We found it necessary to warn all natives not to leave
camp at night and to halt and answer every challenge immediately.
XMAS DAY.
During this period, W.Os. Smith, Stevens, Barnes, Robinson,
Maxwell, Pickwell and Wilkinson reported at various times. W.O.
Pickwell had been instructed to  ssist me at Popondetta and the
others were posted at various st tions in the Buna area, all
having hospitals working at full pressure and performing invaluable
work. Relief N. M. Ords arrived now and then from the base and at
each of our hospitals local natives, often with medical experience
obtained at the Anglican Missions hospitals, applied for work
and were put on to help. ANGAU personnel also helped us no end
and the divisional command , realising to the full the need of
releasing worn out carriers, made every effort to send as many
back to the base as could be spared.  
[*The work at Pohthorn P12.*]
[*Later]
On being relieved by W.O. Pickwell and by Staff Sgt Cowan lent
us from the I0th F. Amb A.I.F., I was able to make several patrols,
first forward to inspect all camps on the Gona, Sananda, and Buna
roads and get in touch with our team of Medical Assistants, and
later assisted by W.O. Robinson to Higatura where dysentery was
very prevalent. I left the latter here to investigate the health
of nomadic natives towards the coast. I also went to Dobadura 
to consult the D.O. Mambare Div. and had other opportunities to
discuss medical needs with him. W.O. Pickwell also went inland
to Haginahambu where quantities of medical stores had been dumped.
From here and from stores left us by various outgoing A.A.M.C.
units we collected a valuable stock of drugs and dressings.
[*Evan*]
In Mid February we were visited by the A.D.M.S. ANGAU who
reorganised the medical services by the concentration of all
pateints at a central hospital at Warisota Plantation, xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx and inspected all our posts. I accompanied 
him to the exhumation of two Anglican Mission sisters buried
near old Popondetta. 

[*whose names I have already mentioned 
had been located at near the original Popondetta 
see exhumations.*]

I mentioned to him that six times the 
medical personnel, both European and native could hardly cover
[*the ADMS*] 

 51
There was no such in the Eastern on this voyage after full 
examination was postponed till daylight the next morning, 
the Q.O. announcing to a launch the agents' party in a launch full of expectant Island
socialites, that no one could be allowed on board.
(as he left on his own launch started for home. They of cause all therefore [[?]] This launch henceforth also 
returned to T.I. but two  of its passengers who decided to
"chance it" & [staff?] remain on the Eastern for the dance.
These were the agent himself & a lovely popular young lady
who saw no reason why she should be defrauded of
her anticipated fun. Two more prominent people could hardly
have been selected for sacrifice. Next morning,
when the Q.O.  returned to the ship to complete his
examination, he found xxx that his hand had been forced [?] (by the 2 offenders)
& he was obliged to award THEM [to spend?] 10 days 
detention at the station, in spite of the fact that
pratique was ultimately granted. The effect was
electrical, both of the families involved were considerably
concerned when they heard the sentence
but it was no use protesting, even Mrs Grundy
was pushed aside when it came to a matter of
maintaining quarantine regulations. In reality
the affair was very laughable & their 10 days i was rather
a long time to put in for an anxious w offr & sergt then on one
hand & any [[?serious?]] patients on the [[other?]] would then be gone. These 2
occurrences happened very close to one another & settled
for all time the question as to who was to run the
quarantine.
On boarding a ship the Q.O. was handed a
list containing the numbers of all the crew & passengers. all of whom had to be counted and examined.
It fell to my lot [[once?]] to pass one of the N Y K passenger
ships [[?]] I had a small adventure of my own, after
clearing up crew in 2^nd 3^rd & 4^th cabins, I examined
the 1st Class passengers in the smoking room.
Nothing to suggest any further delay in
granting pratique presented itself but
before signing the papers I checked off.

I2.
the needs of the Mambare division; there were still large ^vast tracts
of country along the Kumusi, Opie, and Mambare rivers, daily
being released from Japanese occupation, that had been thickly
populated before the invasion. It was certain that these people, 
now homeless and nomadic, would need intensive medical attention, 
yet at the time we were quite unable to send them medical help.

I received orders from the A.D.M.S. to return to the base and
take over his duties while he continued his inspection of North
and Eastern Papua, but before leaving I assisted in the transfer of our Popondetta 
patients to the new hospital at Warisota and then went on to Oro
Bay to await transport to Moresby.
The work at Popondetta hospital and in fact throughout the in-

vasion area cannot be regarded with any very great satisfaction
if statistics are to be taken as the only guide to results. The
work was disheartening and the knowledge that a whole countryside
surrounding us was full of sick, semi starved and homeless natives
did not make the situation less depressing. Yet every member
of the Native Medical Services did his best throughout the cam-

paign and the A.D.M.S. 7th Divis  n told me that though we might
have lost many of our carriers, were it not for the work of all our
staff the carrier force would not have been able to come through
as well as it did.
On 3rd March I left Oro Bay by sea for Moresby and on the 5th
reported to the C.O. ANGAU, and subsequently to the for duty to the D.D.M.S. N9F, for 
duty.  
last 
G. H. Vernon MC Capt. 

[*PR00787*]
incubation period, I was permitted to go out & talk to him
over the fence - found him firmly convinced that
[*This machine is no good
Imperial typewriter *]
imprisonment was better than vaccination
- in view of the [[?patients]] in the town
I'm not sure that he was not better off
"I've never had a needle push thro' my skin", he
shouted to me over the fence. He took it very well and
he was always quite serene & happy writing or with a
book everyone on the station combined to make his stay
there as pleasant as possible
At one period in my early days, before I was
appointed deputy officer, there had been a new Q.M.O.
came from south who, I suspect, had a mandate to
tighten up regulations, in fact this was being done
throughout the xxxxxxx service. The new man was deservedly
popular but those who dealt with incoming ships
soon found that he was going to see that every quarantine
regulation was carried out to the letter and rightly so too
(considering the danger of any breach, however slight)
- among the first to gradually comprehend that were
a few of the senior xxxxxxxxx men Torres St Pilot Hermie who
by reason of long years of command at sea xxxxx
occasionally considered they knew more than quarantine service take small liberties
later by reason on a/c of their official position. [where masters of
oversea vessels did not hold exemption certificates, the
insurance regulater necessitated the employment of a
Torres St pilot who boarded the ships at Sydney or Brisbane
on the outward & at T.I. on the inward voyage.]  [[?]] if [[?]] any
ancient mariners made a slip & was quarantined for the
days week much to the amusement, & instructions, of the rest,
thenceforward as more rigid rule was accepted.
The most thrilling Qtine incident however occurred when
the Eastern arrived ^from [[Habi?]] in the xxxx evening at shortly after sundown during
the tourist season. The ship was full & a lively
[[?evening  for their day xxx  in the ?? up in ??]]
[[?carrier]] had been promised they [[A?]] T.Iers. when xxxx birthed
at the jetty. The Q.O. was waiting for the vessel
[[?as cared? to come down to this anchorage|?]] [[?Ato']] he was not
obliged to & said pratique to every vessel after dark
 [[?if ?? were away ??]] comes aboard