Military history focuses on the causes and events of conflict, but seldom do we examine or consider the aftermath (with the exception of large world-changing events such as the first atomic bombs). Flicking absentmindedly through my collection of research information yesterday, I came across a brief statement of such after-effects that I had not considered previously. In Papua New Guinea on the 27th of November, 1942, some three weeks after the village of Kokoda had been re-entered, the local official responsible for native welfare reported that "over 700 refugees, mainly women, children and old men now at Kokoda require sustenance. The gardens have been stripped in consequence of operations. [Reference: AWM52 1/10/1/006 p.45].” It was not only the Australian and Japanese soldiers who suffered then, the locals were also forced, by events beyond their control, to rebuild their shattered lives and livelihoods.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 23:15:27 +0000
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