War animal plaque on stone plinth at Goldie River Training Depot in close proximity to the PNGDF Museum. AWAMO would like to encourage all hikers walking the Kokoda trail visit the museum and lay a purple poppy to honour the sacrifices of Australian war animals.
The Australian War Animal Memorial Organization (AWAMO) in another nation first has honoured the deeds and sacrifices of WWII war animals that served throughout the south west pacific during the Second World War. AWAMO President Nigel Allsopp first approached the Papua New Guinea Embassy in Canberra in 2014 to seek permission to place a bronze plaque at Kokoda to recognize the deeds and sacrifices that animals made during this conflict.
It is surprising how few people know that quite large numbers of animals served in the AIF during WWII. Over 25,000 pigeons were used to aid communication in this vast area of operations. Some were used in Kokoda whilst others served on ships and aircraft and used in emergency situations such as an aircraft having to ditch or a ship being sunk. Pigeons were used all over the South West Pacific area during WWII. Two Australian carrier pigeons attached to the Australian Army even received the Dickin Medal: the animals’ equivalent to the VC , one was awarded to an Australian bird, whose flight to Madang saved the crew and valuable cargo of a boat that was foundering during a tropical storm. In driving rain the bird had covered 64 kilometres in 50 minutes. By the war’s end it had been on 23 missions.
Whether patrols were surrounded by the enemy, crews in sinking ships, engineers stranded by mud-slides, medical units desperately short of blood all have reason to thank the men and the birds of the Australian Corps of Signals Pigeon Service.
The 1st Independent Light Horse revived the Australian tradition of fine horsemanship built by the horsemen of the last war, when they established a light horse unit operating in New Guinea in 1942. Thirty one horses were selected by a group of 22 soldiers who, on 1 April 1942, became 1st Independent Light Horse Troop (AIF). The troop operated on patrolling tasks and location of missing aircraft. Until the Australian Pack Transportation Companies were formed with mules, the troop also delivered supplies on the Kokoda Trail. As a horse could carry 80 kg (the equivalent to 4 carriers), their contribution was a valuable one in the early days of the campaign, when supply was critical. Apart from these initial horses’ members of the independent light horse troop also caught brumbies after rounding them up in the hills of New Guinea.
Mules and donkeys were used logistically throughout the Kokoda campaign. The major logistical feature of jungle warfare in New Guinea was the absence of wheeled transport. The road network was restricted to what had been constructed in the base areas. Under these conditions, the most useful vehicle was the ubiquitous quarter-ton jeep but even it was restricted to whatever vehicle tracks could be constructed. Thoughts were turned to older modes of transport. The 3rd Pack Transport Company employed horses and mules to deliver supplies in the region but difficulties in providing forage for the animals resulted in this mode of transportation being eventually phased out. There was still plenty of work for pack animals in the Region and many animals were used right up until hostilities finished. In October 1942, the 1st Pack Transport Company arrived and operated from Ower’s to Imita, including establishing a flying fox over the flooded Goldie River.
Finally a small number of dogs on loan from the US Army were used in the patrol, guard and messengers roles. These were returned to the American forces at the end of the war.
The war animal memorial consists of two parts and is situated across the road from the museum on the side of the road as you enter Goldie Barracks. This is opposite the HQ building near the Guard House to prevent the bronze plaque from being stolen. The outside memorial consist of a local rocks painted white with bronze plaque attached.
The museum itself contains the second part of the war animal display with detailed information on the use of war animals in the region. The centre peace of this display is a full scale bronze resin horses head.
AWAMO would like to make a special thanks to Lt Col Shaun Fletcher Tm Ldr DCP ADS and WO2 Fred Cox who took the lead in establishing a stone plinth at Goldie River Training Depot in close proximity to the PNGDF Museum. AWAMO would like to encourage all hikers walking the Kokoda trail visit the museum and lay a purple poppy to honour the sacrifices of Australian war animals.
