AN ADVENTUROUS YEAR IN A PACIFIC DIOCESE

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23976, 17 June 1943, Page 4

AN ADVENTUROUS YEAR IN A PACIFIC DIOCESE

MELANESIAN MISSION

Though the Bishop of Melanesia (Bishop W. H. Baddeley) rose from private to lieutenant-colonel in the last war, was awarded the D.S.O. and the Military Cross and bar, and was mentioned lour times in dispatches, he as the Japanese invaded the 2fo u P, January, 1942. Troops were then landed at Kieta. Bougainville. A copy of the Bishop’s report for 1942, compiled under difficulties ( from “somewhere in the Solomons, hist reached Christchurch. Minus stores, mission property destroyed and staff dispersed to different parts of tte diocese, it was a year of tribulation. “Most of us were reduced to the barest minimum by the end of the year,” says Bishop Baddeley. “But I think shoes were the greatest problem, and I for one had always to take one Walter Vaitahi with me on my walks to sew on the soles again at various halts by the wayside.”

Carrying On The end of the year found the mission temporarily bereft of its wostl ®ni folk. Nevertheless, a hospital was stm manned by Dr. Thomson, a New Zealander. and a group of orderlies. Pawa School was carrying on its unbroken work. MarovoVo School was functioning at Fiu. The mission .headquarters had been reopened at Taroaniara The famous Native Brotherhood which, in more peaceful days, had performed invaluable service, was still at work m the artificial islands of the Tai Lagoon. District work on San Cnstoval, Ugi, Ulawa North and South Malaita, Gela, and Savo, was being carried on normally, in spite of Japanese visits at some of those places. Guadalcanar was described by Bishop Baddeley as “still rather In a state of flux.” He was in touch with Ysabel. Cape Marsh. Ontong Java, Sikiana. and, of course, the Reef Islands and Santa Cruz were still “out of touch.” The great American victory of November 14-15 had considerably eased the situation. Though there was some apprehension of a big-scale Japanese effort to recapture Guadalcanar and its airfield early this year, the mission members felt that the United States forces had come to stay, and that there would be no more enemy occupation. It was cn January 25, the Bishop reports, that it was decided to evacuate Chinese women and children from Tulagi, the administrative headquarters in the Solomons. Two days later the Bishop resolved to send the Community Sisters and some remaining Bunana School girls to Fauabu to be clear of the almost daily visits from Japanese aircraft. One Sunday night he was roused from his sleep by the Resident Commissioner, who told him that he had been advised to remove the'headquarters staff to Auki, on north Malaita. The Bishop was urged to follow suit as a temporary measure. “It turned out to be only that,” he writes, “for apparently whatever might have been on its way down was turned back in view of the disastrous happenings to Japanese naval forces in East Indies waters during that week-end.” The Bishop’s party remained for some days at Fauabu. Mrs Sprott. formerly of Wellington (who has since been awarded the M.8.E.), returned to Meringue, determined to remain with her people at Bugotu, come what might. On returning to Taroaniara in February the Bishop awaited the arrival of a ship with stores. The vessel arrived on schedule. But a large Japanese aeroplane came over and bombed her, and only letter mail came ashore. The next supplies of stores did not reach the Bishop until December 8. The Europeans, however, were then astounded at the incredibly poor “shooting” of Japanese aircraft. Bishop and “Heroics”

"Some of us regret the ‘heroics’ in which some writers jiave indulged about ‘missionaries who remained at their posts’," commented Bishop Baddeley. “Shepherds do not merely lead their sheep by the still waters. Fathers —and so our priests are called—do not leave their children to shift for themselves when troubles come. And it* is the glory of womanhood that women shield those who are dependent upon them most securely in the times of greatest danger or need." “We do not criticise those who went south (to Australia),” he added. “Some went because they were so ordered; others, who were their own masters, went for their own convenience; others felt there was no purpose in remaining and every reason for going away. The, only criticism I might make would be of those .who, with large numbers of native labour dependent upon them, went off with seemingly no thought whatever for those who

had served them well—and that crU ticism does not apply to all.” During March the mission workers “lay low.” Everyone did his or her job “in quietness and confidence.” The Sisters of the Cross made arrangements to transfer themselves and such girls as could not be sent to their homes to a village well in the bush. The nurses prepared a secondary dispensary e in another village. During that Easter the Bishop visited Pawa. and on Ugi dedicated a new chapel. Travelling on Gela he heard, heavy bombing, and saw some “left overs” that had been dropped by Japanese aeroplanes re-, turning in a hurry to their base. One night he set out for the Govern-,, ment headquarters at Auki. The sky .-v., was then lighted with burning oil y dumps and stores at Gavutu and Tulagi. It was a rough passage of nearly seven hours. “I admit that I sat with my head over my left shoulder.” says the Bishop, “for I imagined that there might be Japanese destroyers in the straits to cut off any who might be making a get-away from Gela. But nothing untoward happened.” News came in daily, he says, from coast-watching stations on the various islands, stations that were maintained throughout the Japanese occupation, a fine piece of service. On May 5 the Japanese ships off Tulagi were badly smashed up by what the enemy themselves told the Gela people was “a most terrible air attack, which they hoped would never be repeated. 1 ’ "Some of the invaders were already ashore from the sunk ships,” says the Bishop. “The Japs used this experience as an excuse for pillaging village houses for calico and the gardens for food.”

Mission Property Pillaged It was at this time that the mission headquarters at Taroaniara was pillaged. Some furniture was removed to Gavutu and Tulagi, and the rest thrown out and burnt. Books and china were similarly treated. All foodstuffs were taken away. A few days later Siota suffered the same fate. Later the Bishop’s house and that of the Brotherhood were removed and set up elsewhere. The Japanese subse- '' quently looted instruments from the mission’s operating theatre at Fauabu and cut off ready access to Dr. Charles E. Fox. the well-known New Zealandborn authority on Pacific languages, who has been in Melanesia since 1002. By the end of October lack of food gave the missionaries cause to think. American forces had landed at Tulagi, Bunana, Gavutu, and Gela, and those islands were speedily cleared of Japanese. On Guadalcanar the enemy scattered, and caused much trouble both to Europeans and the natives. Reinforcements were constantly landed under cover of darkness, and they held on with great persistency. On October 25 the missionaries, from a look-out on Auki, were amazed to see a squadron sail down Indispensable Strait, “just as if they owned the place:” “But after three great air attacks (for which some of us had dress circle seats), what was left slithered out of sight towards Ysabel,” he says. This meant, of course, that no stores could be landed. Some of the missionaries had been without them since the ■ previous December. That same month a party of Marovovo boys joined the Bishop through bush that was infested , by the enemy. Eventually their school was re-established at Fiu. About this time the American general expressed a wish that all women who remained in the Solomons should go south. The brutal murder of two Roman Catholic sisters and two priests at Tasimboko by irresponsible Japanese soldier* was possibly responsible for. the order. “In actual fact, such a movement ” ‘ suited us,” the Bishop reports. Mrs Sprott was flown in from Ysabel, and there was a reunion with other workers at Lolowai.

The Bishop related one story of the Japanese occupation to show the spirit of the natives. People from neigh* bouring villages had assembled over* night to partake of Holy Communion. In the morning they found a large concourse of Japanese warships anchored off shore. The priest, a Melanesian, was awakened. “Shall the people disperse?” he was asked. The reply was: 'T came here to celebrate, and I am going to do so.” After service the folk dispersed with no sign of panic or hurry. None of the “treasures” of the mission has been lost, though many books from the Patteson Library, also altar furniture from the Southerh Cross, have mysteriously disappeared. Most of the staff have lost their personal possessions, The historic relics from the Cathedral at Siota were removed personally by the Bishop to a safe place in the hills. Material losses in buildings and equipment, however, have been severe. “It is early yet to assess what losses—or gains?—we may have suffered,” he concludes, "Some losses, no doubt: but gains, too, I have no doubt,”