Details of those killed during Japanese Raids on Darwin, NT on 19 February 1942

Modern history seems to record that there were 243 deaths in Darwin on the 19 February 1942 after two major air raids by Japanese aircraft. Anecdotal evidence would seem to suggest there were many more deaths than this.

Tom Minto, First Mate on the Hospital Ship "Manunda" expressed some doubt about the identity of the 3 men from HMAS Swan who were brought on board "Manunda". 19 bodies were taken ashore from "Manunda" and laid out on the ground in front of the Naval Signal Station. The bodies stayed there all day in the hot sun. The order was given for the bodies to be collected from the shore at 10.30pm that night. They were to be buried at sea. The official records show that this happened, but Tom Minto's Report states:-

The Australian War Graves Commission states that Army casualties were buried at sea,. The Northern Territory Memorial and the Sydney Memorial show them as having "no known graves". One source, who was filling sandbags on the shore remembers quite clearly that there was a long trench dug in the area between the current Darwin Casino and Kahlin Beach. The Manager of the Mindil Beach Caravan Park sold the land in 1978 for the development of the Darwin Casino. During earth works for the project many human remains were found in a deep trench. The Northern Territory News on 3 October 1981 claimed they were aboriginal remains. Later reports claimed they were remains of Mocassin fishermen. Henry Lee was in Darwin at the time of the Japanese attack and stated in the Newspaper:-

The nursing sister is most likely to have been Sister de Mestre form the Manunda. Is it possible that the "Manunda" bodies were actually buried at sea and some of them washed ashore.

A senior Army Matron recalls that the bodies from "Manunda" were seen at Catherine Cemetery. A Darwin historian believes they were exhumed and reburied at the Adelaide River War Cemetery. Here the early grave markers were made of wood and soon disappeared as time passed due to white ants or grass fires.

The Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour database shows only 18 deaths for Military personnel killed in Darwin on 19 February 1942.

Barton, Leonard Arthur	18368	LAC	RAAF Stn Hq Darwin	Darwin	Ground Battle
Latham, Philips Stonham	32932	LAC	SHq Darwin (RAAF)	Darwin	Ground Battle
Neaylon, Francis	20361	Aircraftman Class 1	SHq Darwin RAAF	Darwin	Ground Battle
Schulz, Albert Victor Leske	28222	LAC	SHq Darwin RAAF	Darwin	Ground Battle
Simons, Robert Frederick	26040	Cpl	RAAF Stn Hq Darwin	Darwin	Ground Battle
Smith, Stanley George	45738	Aircraftman Class 1	SHq Darwin RAAF	Darwin	Ground Battle
Tindal, Archibald Robert	76	Wing Commander	Hq North Western Area Darwin	Darwin	Ground Battle

Mr. Gus Brown	Wharfie
Mr. Alan Byers	Wharf Labourer (died 26 Feb 42 on 2/1 Hospital Ship)
Mr. Francisco Augusto Chavez	Wharfie - winchman
Mr. Ricardo Warivin Conanan	Wharfie - Hatchman
Mr. John Roque Cubillo	Wharfie - No. 3 Gang
Mr. Geoffrey Phillip Dangerfield	Wharf's A/Foreman
Mr. Andrew John De Julia	Wharfie - Shunter
Mr. Domingo Dominic	Wharfie - No. 3 Gang
Mr. S. Dove	Wharfie - Labourer No. 18 Gang
Mr. Reginald Hemming Erickson	Wharf Superintendent
Mr. H. Gable	Wharf Labourer - No. 1 Gang
Mr. Colbourne Burleigh Giles	Wharf Labourer - No. 17 Gang
Mr. Ernest Walter Hodges	Wharfie - Tractor Driver
Mr. John Edward Hynes	Waterside Worker (died on 25 Feb 42 on 2/1 Hospital Ship) - No. 3 Wharf Gang
Mr. W. Marr	Wharfie
George Michaels	Waterside Worker (died 19 Feb 42)
Mr. Arthur Alexander Mullins	Wharf Labourer - No. 2 Gang
Mr. Frank Oliver	Wharfie
Mr. L. Ray	Wharf Labourer
Mr. Bruce Schilling	Wharf Labourer - No. 18 Gang
Mr. Earl Shores	Wharfie
Mr. Catalano Spain	Wharf Labourer - No. 3 Gang
John Vernon Sundstrom	Civilian?

SHIP	KILLED	WOUNDED	DETAILS
SS British Motorist	2	-
USAT Don Isidro	12	-
SS Florence D	4 (3 crew + 1 rescued crew member of Catalina)
HMAS Gunbar - RAN Minesweeper	1	-
HMAS Kangaroo	1	-	Moore
HMAS Kara Kara	2	-
Manunda - Hospital Ship	13 (12 crew plus 1 patient)	18 Seriously wounded 40+ minor wounds
USAT Meigs	1
MV Neptuna	36	?
USS Peary	88	?
SS Portmar - US Transport	1	-
USS William B. Preston	14
HMAS Swan - RAN Sloop	3	22	Breen, Purdon, and Sault
MV Tulagi - Merchant ship	4		4 members of the US Army's 148th Field Artillery died on MV Tulagi
SS Zealandia	2	-	Two were mortally wounded on SS Zaealandia and later died after movement to HMAHS Manunda. 142 survived
TOTAL	184	107 plus

Can you help me with names of those killed
on any ships in Darwin on 19 February 1942?

19 Feb 42	In Darwin Harbour	USAAF	P-40 Kittyhawk	Lt. Charles Hughes of 33rd Pursuit Squadron USAAF killed, hit by Japanese aircraft,
19 Feb 42	In Darwin Harbour	USAAF	P-40 Kittyhawk	Major Floyd J. Pell (0-20701) of 33rd Pursuit Squadron USAAF killed when he bailed out too low after aircraft hit hit by Japanese aircraft,
19 Feb 42	near Gunn Point, east of Darwin	USAAF	P-40 Kittyhawk	Jack R. Peres 33rd Pursuit Squadron USAAF killed, shot down by Japanese aircraft.
19 Feb 42	In Darwin Harbour	USAAF	P-40 Kittyhawk	Lt. Elton S. Perry of 33rd Pursuit Squadron USAAF killed, shot down by Japanese aircraft.
19 Feb 42	Darwin Airfield	USAAF	LB-30A Liberator	Sgt. H.M. McTavish (6549162) was killed, with Sgt L. Beck, upper Turret gunner wounded.

An official US Record titled "Report of Air Attack on Base Section No. One" shows the following two entries for the USAAC:-

It does not show the other three pilots above (Peres, Perry and Hughes). Perhaps they were killed in the second raid on that day. McTavish was killed in LB-30A AL521 which was destroyed at on the ground in Darwin during this raid.

POST OFFICE, TELEGRAPH OFFICE, CABLE OFFICE & POSTMASTER'S RESIDENCE - 10 KILLED

The Post Office, the Telegraph Office, the Cable Office and the Postmaster's residence all suffered either a direct hit or blast and were a complete loss. All the staff of the Post Office and Telegraph Office were killed as follows. This included the Postmaster and his family :-

Mrs. Alice Louisa Bald **	Postmaster's wife
Mr. Hurtie Clifford Bald **	Postmaster
Miss Iris Enid Bald **	Typist Tax Department
Mr. Archibald Thomas Roy Halls **	Telegraphist
Miss Eileen Carrig Mullen **	Telephonist
Miss Jean Carrig Mullen **	Telephonist
Mr. Walter Robert Lewis Rowling	PMG Department (died 21 Feb 42 on 2/1 Hospital Ship)
Miss Jennie Freda Stasinowsky **	Telephonist
Mr. Arthur Wellesley Wellington **	PO Clerk
Miss Emily Florence Young **	Telephonist

** initially buried in the Military Section of the Adelaide River Cemetery and later transferred to the civilian section.

Mr. William J. Bowen	Civilian Labourer
Mr. Cohoon	Civilian unknown - may be his first name or surname or a nickname
Mr. Sydney De Mills	Civilian Fish Trapper
Charles McNab	Carpenter
Leslie Perkins	possibly a seaman

"The first air raids on Darwin were over by 12.40p.m. on 19 February 1942. At least 292 people were dead or dying � 22 on the Darwin wharf, 17 in the town area, 177 on the harbour, seven at the RAAF base, four in the air, six other service personnel, 18 on the Florence D and Don Isidro, and 41 others either on the Manunda or in unclear circumstances. We will never know how many other people may have died but were not taken into account."

I'd like to thank John Richards and Gordon Birkett for their assistance with this web page.

"Darwin's Air War - 1942-1945. An Illustrated History"
By the Aviation Historical Society of the Northern Territory

"In the Highest Traditions ... RAN heroism Darwin 19 February 1942"
by John Bradford

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