The Gallipoli Gazette
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Vol. 49 No 4 (New Series) SUMMER 2019 THE GALLIPOLI GAZETTE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL CLUB LTD Data reassessment finds missing US Submarine A missing World War II submarine that spent much of the war in Western Australia has been found in Japanese waters, 75 years after it sank with 80 US sailors on board, under a US program called ‘The Lost 52 Project’ to find the 52 US vessels lost in that war. In November, the US navy The expedition's Japanese headed back to port and would officially verified the discovery of historian and researcher Yutaka not complete the total search the USS Grayback after a team Iwasaki re-translated the original area this year," Mr Taylor said. dedicated to surveying lost documents and discovered the "As the team was viewing the submarines made the find off the mistake, giving the team a new last bit of this data roll across the coast of Okinawa in June. area to focus on. screen, you could feel everyone The USS Grayback went down Tim Taylor, who founded the shuffling and getting ready to in the East China Sea during its Lost 52 Project behind the shift gears to secure the ship for 10th patrol mission in February mission, said the incredible find getting underway.” 1944 and, according to Japanese was made after one of the team's "The next thing we see in the reports, "exploded and sank robotic vehicles had technical last quarter of the last line of immediately". problems and was forced to data is the USS Grayback roll But a translation error in 1946 return. across the monitor." placed the submarine 160km "It was amazing; the team had from its true final location. resigned to the fact that we're Underwater image of the wreck Continued page 14. 1 Editorial… This edition carries stories from was injured and set up canteens premises which we expect to two world wars plus a book for soldiers. have operational in late 2020. review from the Vietnam war. From World War Two we have American born foreign Bruce McEwan take us to the story of the Afro-American correspondent, Carl Gallipoli and recounts the Tuskegee Airmen, brought into Robinson has written, The horrible existence of the troops focus by the recent discovery of Bite of the Lotus: an intimate in the trenches. We also have a lost aircraft from the war. In a memoir of the Vietnam War. the story of a remarkable Fijian, similar vein, we have the story Carl, who has called Australia Ratu Josepha Sukuna, who was of another recent discovery, the home for over 40 years, denied entry to the British wreck of the submarine USS arrived in Saigon in 1964 as forces, so joined the French and Grayback which was sunk by an aid worker before joining later returned to help guide his the Japanese. USS Grayback Associated Press (AP) which country to independence. For spent much of the war based in led to decades as a foreign gender balance, we read about Australian waters correspondent, eventually as Dame Alice Chisholm. This Our President, John Robertson, the Sydney based represent- devoted widowed mother from reports on the steady progress tative of Newsweek. country New South Wales went of building of our new club to the Middle East after her son On bahalf of our Patron and Directors, I extend our sincere best wishes to all our Members for a Happy and Merry Christmas and good luck and good health for the coming year. John Robertson President 2 President’s Report As we all know, the club is not now trading, and will not be for perhaps another year. We hope we have continued to maintain the Gallipoli Spirit with members through various functions and this Gazette in this interim period. The Annual General Meeting and Gallipoli Art Competition was a resounding success. I would like to thank Brian Perry and the staff at the Harbour View Hotel for their generous support. Coincident with the Exhibition at the hotel was the Spirit of Anzac exhibition where previous Gallipoli Art Prize winners in both Australia and Turkey were displayed in the newly completed Exhibition space at Club Merrylands RSL. It was such a success that the 2020 Competition Finalists will be shown at Merrylands. The Lone Pine commemoration was also very well received, again at the Harbour View Hotel. We continue to support the Gallipoli Scholarship and co-operate with the Turkish Consulate whenever Possible The refurbishment of the club building at 12-14 Loftus St is proceeding at a pace. The excavation of the basement area is complete, as is the conservation work on the Eastern and Western facades. The sandstone having been cleaned repaired/replaced where necessary has come up surprisingly well. Most of the structural timber work has been completed. The Museum space under 2-10 Loftus St. is currently occupied by site offices of the builder. Both sites should be ready for occupation by September 2020. The Building Committee meets regularly with AMP Capital and the builder for progress reports and site inspections. John Robertson president THE GALLIPOLI ART PRIZE 2020 PRIZE VALUED AT: $20,000 (ACQUISITIVE) Australian (and other eligible) artists are invited to enter one piece of original work produced in oil, acrylic, water colour or mixed medium in the Gallipoli Art Prize competition. The Art Prize will be awarded to the artist who best depicts the spirit of the Club’s creed *: “...there exists an obligation for all to preserve the special qualities of loyalty, respect, love of country, courage and comradeship which were personified by the heroes of the Gallipoli Campaign and bequeathed to all humanity as a foundation of perpetual peace and universal freedom.” *Artwork does not need to reflect warfare or The Gallipoli conflict. Please refer to www.gallipoli.com.au for full conditions and entry form. ARTWORK: Deliver at the competitor’s expense on the 15, 16, 17 or 18 March 2020 for judging. DELIVER TO: Merrylands RSL, 8/12 Miller St, Merrylands NSW 2160 ENQUIRE TO: Tel 02 9235 1533 or to the Secretary [email protected] The winner will be announced to the media in a formal presentation in April. 3 Sir Lala Sukuna A young Fijian university student at Oxford was not allowed by Britain to join its forces in World War One, so he crossed the channel and became a French war hero before returning home to be a national leader Ratu Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Fijians to avoid claims of Lands Commission. Within ten Vana'ali'ali Sukuna KCMG KBE exploiting native people. years he was a provincial (1888 –1958) was a Fijian chief, Sukuna said years later he felt commissioner and appointed scholar, soldier, and statesman that Fijians would gain the Legislative Councillor to and a pre-independence leader respect of their British rulers by represent the Fijian people. In of Fiji who established civic in- proving their worth on the this role, Sukuna attended the stitutions that led to indepen- battlefield, so he joined the 1937 coronation of King George dence. French Foreign Legion. VI and Queen Elizabeth. Born into a ruling family on Wounded in late 1915 he By 1940, he was the Native an island off Viti Levu, the returned to Fiji, but later Lands Reserves Commiss- largest Fijian island, he became returned to France and joined ioner. In 1942 he began a civil servant in his teenage the Native Transport Detach- recruiting Fijian men for the war years and progressed upwards ment that aided the British effort as Britain had reversed its through the civil service. He was Army. For his wartime service, former policy. granted leave of absence for a Sukuna was awarded the Croix Sukuna became Secretary year to study history at Oxford de Guerre. for Fijian Affairs and in 1944, he University. As a war hero, Ratu Sukuna re-established the Native Soon after, Word War One raisied funds for further Oxford Regulations Board. started and Sukuna applied to study. He completed his history He was knighted in 1946. In enlist in the British Army, but course and then proceeded to 1954, Ratu Sukuna was appoint- the British government had a Middle Temple, London from ted the first native-born policy of refusing enlistment to where he graduated BA LL.B in Speaker of the Legislative 1921, the first Fijian to receive a Council. university degree. He died childless in 1958. His As Sukuna's father had traditional titles passed to his died in 1920, he returned to nephew, Ratu Sir Kamasese become a clan leader and a Mara who led Fiji to indepen- chief assistant at the Native dence in 1970. Ratu Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Vana'ali'ali Sukuna Ratu Sir Kamasese Mara 4 Great Ocean Road – the longest WW1 Memorial Continuing our occasional series on Australian wars memorials we look at the longest one ever built The 243 kilometre Great Hitchcock himself contributing The soldiers were paid $1.05 Ocean Road along the south- $6000. Money would be repaid per eight hour day in a five-and- eastern coast of Australia links by charging drivers a toll until the a-half day week. South Australia with Melbourne debt was cleared, and the road They lived under canvas and and provides magnificent views would then be gifted to the state. ate in a communal dining along its entire length from Hitchcock’s financial support, marquee and kitchen. For Torquay to Allansford. from his Geelong drapery entertainment there was a piano, The highway hugs the coast- business, plus his enthusiasm and a gramophone, newspapers, line of the ‘Surf Coast’ from energy kept the project going.