LOCAL AND OVERSEAS
WAR CORRESPONDENTS
IN AUSTRALIA
DURING WWII

There were many overseas War Correspondents operating in Australia during WWII. The following is a list of some of those War Correspondents:-

Yates McDaniel - Associated Press

Joseph C. Harsch - Christian Science Monitor

Patrick Maitland - News Chronicle, London

Martin "Marty" Barnett - Paramount News

Ian Morrison - The TImes

Jonathon Rice - Acme News Pictures

Byron Darnton - New York Times

Lewis B. Sebring, Jr. - New York Herald-Tribune

"Newsreel Wong" - News of the Day

Ralph Jordan - International News Service

Jack Turcott - New York Daily News

Wallace Kirkland - Life and official US Army photographer

William J. Dunn - CBS Radio Reporter

Frank Cuhel - MBS

George Folster - NBC

Martin Agronsky - NBC

Sid Albright - United Artists & NBC

Melville Jacoby - Time-Life (killed along with Brig. Gen Harold George in aircraft incident 29 April 1942)

Annalee Jacoby - CBS News

Clark Lee - Associated Press (later INS)

Frank Hewlett - United Press

Dean Schedler - Associated Press

Al Noderer - Chicago Tribune

Bill Courtney - Colliers Magazine

George Moorad - American Red Cross Reporter (Sydney)

Tilman Durdin - New York Times

Royal Gunnison - MBC

Clete Roberts - NBC Blue

Art Feldman - MBS

Pat Flaherty - NBC

Gordon Walker - Christian Science Monitor

William Dickinson - United Press

Frank Prist - Acme News Pictures

Earle Crotchett - Paramount News

Marty Barnett - Paramount cameraman

Carleton Kent - Chicago Times

? Dearing - International

John Hinde - ?

Frazier Hunt - ?

Four of the above War Correspondents were selected by General Douglas MacArthur to accompany him during the historic landing on Leyte Island beach marking his promised return to the Philippines. They were:-

William J. Dunn - CBS Radio
William Dickinson - United Press
Frank Prist - Acme News Pictures
Earle Crotchett - Paramount News

Australian accredited War Correspondents:-

Coral Lesley Craig - Economic Research Bureau

The War Correspondents in Brisbane were quartered in the Gresham Hotel in the city and the so called "Press House" in Ashton Hall at 118 Bonney Avenue, Clayfield.

War Correspondents Sebring and Dickson Brown were some of the ones staying in the Gresham Hotel. They thought the "Press House" at Clayfield was too far away. The War Correspondents in the Gresham Hotel had a birds eye view of the Battle of Brisbane which occurred on the corner of Adelaide and Creek Streets on the evening of 26 November 1942 right beside their hotel. War Correspondent, John Hinde, was also on a balcony of the Gresham Hotel overlooking the Battle of Brisbane. He stated "The most furious battle I ever saw during the war was that night in Brisbane. It was like a civil war."

General Douglas MacArthur often had meetings with various War Correspondents. The following are entries from General MacArthur's Office Diary until 9 September 1944 when he moved from Brisbane to his new Headquarters in Hollandia:-

Tuesday, May 19, 1942
Conference at 1600 with five U.S. correspondents who were returning to the U.S.

Monday, June 8, 1942
Mrs. Jacoby, widow of Melville Jacoby, Life correspondent called at 1515. Mr.

Tuesday, June 16, 1942
Mr. Kittle, Mr. Williams, Mr. Vickers and Mr. Harris, Brisbane correspondents called at 1100.

Monday, June 22, 1942
Conference with Mr. Harsh, War Correspondent at 1730.

Monday, August 24, 1942
Colonel Wilkinson called at 1700 and Mr. Hubbard War Correspondent at 1800.

Wednesday, January 27th, 1943
War Correspondent Noderer called at 1800.

Tuesday, February 23, 1943
Mr. Pat Robinson, returning war correspondent called at 1800.

Monday, May 10, 1943
Mr. Chickering, War Correspondent for “Time” called at 1145.

Wednesday, June 9, 1943
At 1645 had a conference with newly arrived war correspondents.

Thursday, June 10, 1943
Conference with two colored correspondents who recently reported for duty in this area at 1730.

Saturday, June 12, 1943
Frank Hewlitt and Curtiss Hindson, war correspondents at 1345.

Wednesday, June 16, 1943
Colonel Diller and Mr. Lee Outridge, Sydney Telegraph correspondent at 1815.

Saturday, June 19, 1943
Conference with newly arrived war correspondents at 1700

Wednesday, July 7, 1943
Interview with Mr. Palmer, War Correspondent for Los Angeles “Times” at 1700.

Monday, July 19, 1943
Mr. Norton-Taylor, “Time” Correspondent

Saturday, August 14, 1943
Life, Look and Reuters’ War Correspondents conference at 1715.

Sunday, 19 September, 1943
Colonel Diller and Mr. Kluckhohn, War Correspondent of New York Times, at 1700.

Tuesday, 21 September , 1943
Mr. Turcot, War Correspondent for the New York Daily News, made a P.P.C. at 1700.

Sunday, 17 October, 1943
Mr. Driscoll, War Correspondent of New York Herald Tribune, at 1730.

Saturday, 30 October, 1943
Charles Rawlings, War Correspondent for the Saturday Evening Post, at 1715.

Sunday, 31 October, 1943
Press Conference at 1100. Jack Turcott, War Correspondent of New York Daily News, at 1700.

Wednesday, 19 January, 1944
At 1130, Colonel Diller with Mrs. Lorraine Stumm, our only woman war correspondent, who paid her respects before going to India. At 1200 Colonel Diller and Colonel Lehrbas, with Frank Kluckhohn of the New York Times, to discuss publication of an edition in SWPA.

Friday, 11 February, 1944
At 1730 Norman Soong, accredited Chinese war correspondent, before departure.

Saturday, 19 February, 1944
At 1700, Frazier Hunt, accredited American war correspondent, just arrived.

Wednesday, 8 March, 1944
At 1800 Frazier Hunt, newly arrived war correspondent from U.S.

Thursday, 6 April, 1944
At 1800 A.D. Rothman, Australian correspondent in New York and Washington.

Thursday, 4 May, 1944
At 1800 Colonel Diller with Mr. Edmund R. Vadeboncoeur, NBC war correspondent.

Sunday, 11 June, 1944
At 1645 William Courtenay, British newspaper correspondent.

Wednesday, 21 June, 1944
 At 1300 Clete Roberts, Blue Network broadcasters, before returning to U.S. At 1730 Mark Hellinger, newly arrived INS correspondent.

Wednesday, 28 June, 1944
At 1730 Olin Clements, Associated Press war correspondent, before returning to U.S.

Tuesday, 4 July, 1944
At 1730 Frank Kluckholm and Lindesay M. Parrott, NEW YORK TIMES war correspondents.

Wednesday, 12 July, 1944
At 1715 Charles A. Lindbergh. At 1800 John Dowling, Chicago Sun Correspondent.

Sunday, 23 July, 1944
At 1730 Bob Eunson, AP war correspondent, before returning home.

Monday, 21 August, 1944
At 1800 Colonel Diller and Frank Kluckhohn, New York Times war correspondent.

War Correspondent Lewis B. Sebring, Jr. of the New York Herald-Tribune, was unhappy about General MacArthur making the above listed time for War Correspondents passing through but did not have time for him until just before he left. Frazier Hunt had a room at Lennons Hotel, which was another sore point, as it gave much greater access to the brass than the average reporter.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Karen Nunan for her assistance with this web page.

REFERENCES

"Pacific Microphone" by William Dunn

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 22 May 2019

This page last updated 09 July 2020