DID A
JAPANESE PARTY LAND
AT REDHEAD BEACH, NSW
DURING WW2?
Graeme Steinbeck provided the following War Diary or Intelligence Summaries to me:-
WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY
Unit: Wallace Battery
Date and Time - From 1-6-42 To 30-6-42Place: Date Hour Summary of Events and Information
Fort Wallace 10-6-42 2000 Report that Japanese reserve rations have been found on Redhead beach.
WAR DIARY or INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY
Unit: Park Bty N.F.D.C.
Date and Time - From 1-6-42 To 31-6-42Place: Date Hour Summary of Events and Information
Newcastle 10/6/42 Report received of possible presence in vicinity of Redhead of a small party of Japanese.NOTE: Nearby Fort Redhead is the site of the southern of four Forward Observation Posts (F.O.P.) for Newcastle.
The 8th Garrison Battalion were based in the Redhead Beach area during WWII. They were part of the Newcastle Covering Force, a Militia Force raised on 8 April 1942 for defending the Newcastle area. Other units in Newcastle Covering Force were the 33rd Infantry Battalion, the 4th Infantry Battalion, the 16th Motor Regiment and the 16th Light Horse (Machine Gun) Regiment.
Was this incident linked with a possible German Party landing at Yondaio about 10 miles to the south?
Beverley McCarthy contacted me on 6 January 2012 and advised that her father Ronald Pownall Harrison (QX48214) was attached to Security Service Intelligence Corps (Army SS A I Qld DET LHQ) at the time of this incident at Redhead Beach. Some vague stories have come to Beverley's notice while searching her family history regarding an incident that her father was involved with. She was told that her father and several others conducted a search by horseback on the North Coast of New South Wales and located some Japanese, which were eliminated. Could this have been this incident at Redhead Beach?
Ronald Harrison was attached to the Director General of Security on 27 June 1942. Ronald was initially in the C.M.F with Service No. Q185943.He was promoted rapidly to W.O.II. Part of his job was associated with the internment of foreigners resident in Australia at that time.
Beverley remembers as a child, that after the war, her father had a suitcase under his bed which was kept secretive. Beverley's brothers of course opened it and her eldest brother told her that it contained lots of dossiers and photos. Unfortunately the suitcase was burnt after Ronald passed away.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Graeme Steinbeck for his assistance with this web page.
I would also like to thank Beverley McCarthy (nee Harrison), daughter of Ronald Pownall Harrison, who was sent to northern NSW to investigate an incident involving some Japanese.
Can anyone help me with more information?
"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products
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This page first produced 2008
This page last updated 14 January 2020
