KOWANYAMA PROJECT NEWS
JAPANESE SUBMARINE SIGHTED WEST OF AURUKUN MISSION IN APRIL 1943 “On 11 April 1943 reports were received of a Japanese landing on the south east shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria at Galbraith. At around the same time, local residents from Mitchell River Mission and Galbraith reported seeing lights out to sea. There were also reports of a submarine being seen west of Aurukun Mission. It is possible that this may have been Japanese Submarine RO-33”.
Can anyone give me some more details on these stories. See me online: https://www.ozatwar.com/japsubs/sight03.htm
The Editor wishes to thank the sources of this information. The more we can add to the story of the events at Mitchell River Mission/Kowanyama during the 1940’s the more complete the story will be. During time of war the War Secrets Act did not permit information to reach the public for national safety reasons.” These are excerps of online posts. Much of this information will be available now that time has passed since the conflict. Kowanyama Project would love to hear anything that readers have to add in either photographs and stories. REFERENCE BOOK Bradley, Vera, "I Didn't Know That - Cairns and Districts Tully to Cape York, 1939-1946, Service Personnel and Civilians", Boolarong Press, 1995
Mitchell River Mission War time The old Air Surveillance Post camp was near where the Men’s Shed is now and the old dormitory mango trees.
American Airforce crew at Dunbar 1940’s photographed by Phyllis Campbell-Hughes
Unfortunately, past modern airport extension works have erased much of what remained of the site of the surveillance post and camp at Belboro near the site of the New Mission’s first dormitory in 1915. An early dump of artifacts was pushed across the airport runway site to a place outside of the airport control area.
Some photographs exist of the wartime Mission airstrip and the B17 Bomber crash site on the plains near Shelfo. A search continues for the actual site of the crash and the repair of the aircraft. The gilgay plain is very difficult to negotiate in even a four-wheel drive vehicle. Cannon shells were thrown from the aircraft for safety
reasons before the bomber crashed. They were sometimes found but the last example was lost in the early 1970’s and would now be dangerously unstable if any are found and picked up. Report cannon shells to the Police and do not handle them. The shells are dangerous.
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