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The Advertiser Adelaide, SA Wednesday 17 October 1945
P.O.W. SHIPPED FROM RABAUL
List Of 1,053 Names Recovered MELBOURNE, October 16.
An Australian Army officer who speaks Japanese and who knows Japan well, is in Tokio examining Japanese records for information
of prisoners of war and civilians shipped in 1942 from Rabaul on the Japanese ship Montevideo Maru. The Minister for the Army (Mr. Forde) said today that on being in- formed by the Japanese that there was no information on the matter, this officer inspected the Japanese pirsoners of war information bureau in a small village. After applying pressure he ob- tained a letter dated September 6, 1943, from the Japanese navy, a nominal roll of 1,053 persons stated to have been on board the Monte- video Maru. and documents relat- ing to enquiries made during the war by the Commonwealth Gov- ernment, through the protecting Power, concerning Australians in Rabaul. It was apparent that all these documents had received scant at- tention, and that the Common- wealth's enquiries had been ig- nored, although the Japanese Gov- ernment had all the necessary in- formation to reply, Mr. Forde said. The letter written by the Japanese navy forwarding the nominal roll to the Japanese prisoner of war information duly stated definitely that the ship sailed on June 22 and that it was torpedoed off the Philip- pines.
Northern Miner Charters Towers Thursday 18 October 1945
FOR NEWS OF LOST RABAUL
P.O.W.
MELBOURNE, October 15
According to statement released
to day by the Minister for the Army
Mr Forde, an Australian army officer who speaks Japanese and who knows Japan well in now in Tokyo
investigating Japanese records for information concerning the identity of prisoner or war and civilians shipped in 1942 from Raabaul the Japanese ship Montevideo Maru.
On being informed by the Japanese that was no information on the matter,
this officer personalty inspected the
the Japanese prisoner of war information bureau in a small village
outside Tokyo.
After applying pressure, he obtained
a letter dated September 6, 1343, from
the Japanese Navy a nominal roll
of a private staled to have been on board
Montevideo Maru and documents relating to esquires made during the war by the Commonwealth
Government through the protecting; power concerning Australians in Rabaul
It was apparent said Mr Forde that all documents bad received scant attention and that the Commonwealth enquirers had been ignored
although the Japanese Government had all the necessary information to
reply.
The letter written by the Japanese Navy forwarding a nominal roll to the
Japanese prisoners of War information bureau stated definitely that,the ship sailed on 22 June and was torpedoed off the Philippines.
Unfortunately the nominal was
not in English but was written in Japanese characters representing the phonetic and not the actual spelling cf each name. Thus its translation into English and the positive identification of each name with
the official list of the Australian
personnel was fraught with difficulty
and would take time to complete.
However, approximately 250 names
have been received from Tokyo and have
communicated to next of kin.
Similar action would be taken as
further names were received. The Officer had also interrogated officials of the Japanese Foreign Office, the Navy Department and the shipping company concerned and was taking further steps
to ascertain whether any of the crew were rescued. Mt Forde added the next of kin could be assured that no effort would be spared to obtain authentic information concerning the fate of all individuals who were on board
The Argus Vic. Thursday 13 December 1945 p 5
The Argus Vic Thursday 27 September 1945
TThe Argus Vic. Thursday 3 January 1946, page 13
RABAUL BANK OFFICER LOST AT SEA WHILE POW
The Canberra Times Thursday 27 September 1945, page 1
BELIEVED LOST AT SEA WHILE POW
Pte E. Glen Murray, of the MMG
Pte E. Glen MURRAY
Coy, 2/22nd Batt, A.I.F., Rabaul, who was previously reported miss- ing, is now re- ported miss- ing, believed to have been lost at sea while POW on July 1, 1942. For someyears before enlistment in 1940 he wascaptain of Walwa Rifle Club.
DEFENDERS OF RABAUL
FEARED LOST
Australians Were on Missing Ship
No trace could be found of a Jap- anese troopship which left Rabaul in June, 1942, carrying from 700 to 1,000 Australian prisoners of war, Mr Forde, Army Minister, told the House of Representatives yesterday.
Most of the prisoners, he said, were men of 2/22nd Battalion, which de- fended Rabaul. It had not been pos- sible to trace the movements of the vessel after its departure from Rabaul. Its rumoured destination was Hainan, but apprehension was felt that it failed to reach there.
Some officers of the 2/22nd had been recovered. These officers, to- gether with nurses and female mis- sionaries, were separated from the troops and left for Japan on another ship. Urgent instructions had gone to advanced field formations to try to learn the fate of the Rabaul gar- rison. Japanese POW camp com- manders, guards, and interpreters from Rabaul were being Interro- gated. If forward units gathered information he would immediately make a public announcement.
Worker Qld. Monday 15 October 1945, page 6
Mr Lineker Johnston, New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, of the Bank of New South Wales, Rabaul, is now pre- sumed to have been lost at sea while a POW. The only son of Mr and Mrs C. P. Johnston, formerly of the Bank of NSW, of Castle- maine, he was educated at Rochester and Trinity Grammar Schools, where he took an active part in school sport. One letter from him was included in the number dropped by the Japanese over Port Moresby.
AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS REGARDED AS LOST
The Minister for the Army (Mr Forde) said in the House of Representatives to-day that fears are held that between 700 and 1000 Australian prisoners of war evacuated from Rabaul in 1942 appeared to have been lost. It has not been possible to traae the vessel carrying! 'the troops after leaving , Rabaul, and fears are felt that it failed to reach its destination. Mr Forde said urgent instructions had gone forward to field formations to make inquiries from all 'possible sources. Interrogation of p.o.w. war camp commanders, guards, and interpreters from Rabaul was proceeding,.
NO TRACE OF JAP TROOPSHIP WITH
AUSTRALIAN P.O.W.
No trace can be found of a Japanese troopship, which left Rabaul in June, 1942, carrying from 700 to 1,000 Australian prisoners of war.
The Minister for the Army (Mr. Forde) announced this in the House of Representatives yesterday."Most of the prisoners, he said, were men of the 2/22nd Battalion, which de-
fended Rabaul."
The Minister said it had not been possible to trace the movements of the vessel after its departure from Rabaul. It was rumoured its des- tination was Hainan, and apprehen- sion is felt that it failed to reach its destination.
Some officers of the 2/22nd had been recovered. These officers, to- gether with nurses and female mis- sionaries, were separated from the troops and left for Japan on another
ship.
Instructions had gone to advance field formations to try and learn the fate of the Rabaul garrison.
1093 LOSSES ON JAPANESE PRISON SHIP
Eight hundred and eighty Five Allied P.O.W. and 208 civilians were lost when the Montevideo Maru was tor- pedoed.
This was announced by the Minister for External Affairs (Mr. Ward) in the House of Rep- resentatives a few days ago. He said a report on the loss of the ship had been made by the Japanese Navy. The Montevido Maru had sailed from Rabaul about June 22, 1942, and was torpedoed near Luzon, in the Philippines. The Japanese Navy had offici- ally reported the loss to the Tokio Prisoner of War Informa- tion Bureau on June 6, 1943. Among the prisoners of war were members of the Australian first independent company, which had been operating in New Ire- land. Some missionaries and a few civilians were rescued after the Japanese surrender, but there were still 316 not accounted for. A muster roll, which was understood to contain the names of those aboard the Montevideo Maru, was being translated in Japan for transmission to Aus- tralia.