100th anniversary of WWl, the battle of Bitapaka

By Patrick Matbob

Bitapaka War Memorial

ON July 23 each year PNG observes Remembrance Day commemorating those Papua New Guineans and foreign troops who fought and died in World War ll.

Yet many Papua New Guineans may not be aware that the First World War was also fought in PNG – in one battle at Bitapaka in East New Britain. In August this year, it will be the 100^th anniversary of WWl when Britain declared war on Germany and by doing so committed the members of the British Empire which included Australia and New Zealand, to join the war.

The native constabulary, formerly of German New Guinea.

PNG then was divided, its southern territory of Papua being a British protectorate while New Guinea was under German control. Australia and New Zealand as members of the empire were required to help Britain to fight against the German empire which included areas within the Pacific. Australia put together and trained the Australia Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) of 1,550 men who were sent to New Guinea to destroy German wireless installations. These force included a battalion of regular infantry, six companies of naval reservists, a signals section, two machine gun sections and an Army Medical Corps detachment. The force sailed for East New Britain on the armed merchant cruiser HMAS Berrima on 18 August 1914 escorted by battle-cruiser Australia and light cruiser Sydney. Other battle ships accompanying them were the cruiser Encounter, and torpedo boat destroyers Parramatta, Warrego and Yarra.

The German ‘force’ that the might of the Australians were up against was actually weak with a number of reserve officers and men in the outstations of the German colony. The force consisted of two regular officers Captain K.G.A von Klewitz and Lt G.A. Mayer, seven reserve officers, 52 white non-commissioned officers and soldiers and about 240 Expeditionary troop and police troopers from outstation detachments.  Majority of the troopers were Papua New Guineans.

After arriving in East New Britain, the Australians landed two parties of naval reservists at Kabakaul to capture the Bitapaka radio station. While trying to locate and destroy the wireless station at Bitapaka, one of the party came under fire from a German force that was made up of 60 Papua New Guinean troopers under the command of eight German reservists. This short but savaged clash entered the annals of history as the battle of Bitapaka.

 For the Australians, this battle may not be as significant as the battles their soldiers fought in Middle East and Europe such as Gallipoli, yet it is notable for the following reasons. It is Australia’s first ever battle in World War 1, and she also suffered her first ever war casualties when two Australian officers and four seamen were killed. For PNG, the local troopers who were then fighting for their German colonial masters became the first and only Papua New Guineans to participate in World War 1 and were most likely responsible for inflicting the Australian casualties.

The Australian force landed at Kabakaul on the morning of September 11, 1914 and proceeded to capture the German wireless station at Bitapaka. However, they were fired upon by German troops made up of PNG policemen under the command of German reservists. The Australians sent for reinforcements as they were pinned down by the PNG snipers high in the coconut trees. The first Australian casualty was Able Seaman William Williams from Northcote who was mortally wounded in the stomach. A member of the Australian scouting party Bill Kember attended to Williams despite the shooting and dragged him back for medical help. An army medical officer Bill Pockley attended to Williams and directed Kember to take him back to the battle ship for necessary medical attention. Pockley gave his Red Cross brassard to Kember to protect them from possible ambush. Williams was successfully moved to the ship, however, Pockley was later shot when he was attending to another wounded soldier. Pockley was moved to the ship, but later both Williams and Pockley succumbed to their injuries and were taken ashore and buried at Kabakaul. They became the first Australian casualties in World War 1.  Finally, the Australians were able to overpower the German forces and take the Bitapaka wireless station.  And at the end of the battle, six Australians were killed and five were wounded. Of the defenders, one German officer and 30 Papua New Guineans were killed.  The manner in which most of the Papua New Guineans were killed remains unexplained to this day. Some records show that the German officer and the 30 policemen were not killed in battle but were captured and were later bayoneted to death by the Australians.  No reasons are given why they were killed in such a manner.

The battle of Bitapaka was the only armed resistance by the Germans in New Guinea and on 17 September 1914, the terms of capitulation were accepted by Germany and Australia was now in military occupation of German New Guinea. Detailed description of the Battle of Bitapaka is available on the Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first_world_war/AWMOHWW1/AIF/Vol10/ site.