Lest We Forget - The Sacrifice Made by Australian Service Men And Women
Reverend the Hon. Fred Nile gave the following address to State Parliament;
“I support the motion moved by the Hon. Charlie Lynn, which states:
That in recognition of the year of the ninetieth anniversary of the Australian landing at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli and the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Pacific War, this House calls on the President to acknowledge the sacrifice made by Australian servicemen and women who gave their lives in defence of the freedom we enjoy today after the prayer at the beginning of each sitting week in the following terms:
"I acknowledge the supreme sacrifice made by the servicemen and women who gave their lives on active service in defence of the freedom we enjoy in New South Wales today."
In support of the motion, I refer particularly to one of the individuals who played a major role in the defence of our freedom for the people of New South Wales and Australia, particularly in World War II and especially with regard to the war in the Middle East and the war in New Guinea. I pay tribute to a person who is probably the last surviving officer who held the field command to end the New Guinea campaign of World War II, Major General Paul Cullen, AC, CBE, DSO and Bar, ED, FCA, whom honourable members would have seen on the television coverage of the Anzac Day march on 25 April this year. He wore his old slouch hat and marched proudly and actively by himself at the age of 97 years—he was not driven in a taxi.
Major General Paul Cullen is also a former student of the Cleveland Street High School, where I was a student. I note that when General Peter Cosgrove was head of the Australian Defence Force he wrote a tribute to Paul Cullen in a new book which was released in 2005, written by Kevin Baker, and titled Paul Cullen—Citizen and Soldier. The cover of the book describes Major General Cullen as a distinguished soldier in North Africa, Greece and Crete, and on the Kokoda Track. In the foreword of the publication, which I commend to honourable members—I suggest that they borrow it from the Parliamentary Library—because I am sure they would find it both informative and inspiring, General Peter Cosgrove wrote in 2004:
Major General Paul Cullen maybe 96 years old, but he still displays the tenacity, frankness and dignity he showed as an eminent military commander in the Second World War. He was a gallant wartime leader who got the job done, but he never spared himself to look after his men.
He continued his dedication to the military after the war, when he served as a citizen soldier. He rose to the rank of Major General, and in effect also became the most senior Citizen Military Force officer in Australia at the time. He continues his work today as a great proponent of the wonderful citizen soldiers—a legacy that will live on.
The book covers Major General Cullen's military baptism of fire in Egypt, Libya, Greece and Crete. It tells of his and his troops' struggle for survival on the Kokoda Track and the fighting in New Guinea. General Peter Cosgrove also wrote:
Major General Cullen's obstinate nature is shown when he had the choice of going to Turkey, a neutral country in the war, or Crete, where a battle was not yet joined [but was anticipated]. Unsurprising to those who know him, he chose the battle. And his leadership skills are demonstrated by his actions on the Kokoda Track and his courageous conduct at Sanananda. He emerged from the war mightily acknowledged as one of our best performed and most highly decorated infantry commanders.
Major General Cullen is a fierce and proud man, but he also displays compassion and selflessness. He is a dignified and highly respected opinion leader in the community. He has made outstanding contributions to the refugee cause and was recognized by the United Nations for this work in 1981. He continues his work with the underprivileged and in community services, both of which have won him high acclaim.
They were the concluding remarks from General Peter Cosgrove about Major General Paul Cullen. The book I have mentioned contains a brief summary of what is described as the "citizen soldier", a unique feature of our Australian Defence Forces. Major General Cullen was a member of the citizens forces that, like many others, volunteered to join the Australian Imperial Force and go into active combat during World War II. Australia has had a long tradition of looking to the citizen soldier, or militia, units for its defence: first the militia, the Citizens Military Forces [CMF] and today's reserve forces. The first such units were raised when the colony of Botany Bay was barely 12 years old. Free citizens were recruited on a part-time basis in September 1800, and they were not just playing at soldiers. The men who received training in those units saw active service in a number of conflicts later in the nineteenth century across the Tasman in the Maori wars of the 1860s and in the Sudan in 1885.
When the Boer War broke out New South Wales and other colonies sent a total of 16,000 men to South Africa. When the Federation of the colonies formed Australia as a nation in 1901, its land-based defence was put in the hands of part-time and voluntary reserve units. Major General Paul Cullen joined the militia in 1927. He has an honourable and lengthy record of service for our nation. He took his small place in Australia's combat-ready defence force. He saw the organisation of citizen soldiers become the Citizens Military Forces in 1948-49, which was reorganised into the Army Reserve in 1972.
I was privileged to join the Citizens Military Forces Regimental Cadets in 1948, when the CMF was first formed. I undertook national service as a volunteer and continued to serve in the CMF. I was finally commissioned in 1955 and later I became a company commander. I served for 22 years in the CMF Army Reserve, until 1972. It is an honour to be able to put on record the achievements of Major General Paul Cullen. The motion refers to World War II, particularly the events in New Guinea and on the Kokoda Track. That conflict is summarised in the book, which states:
The frontline of the Australian defences was mainly held by citizen soldiers. That was at the beginning of World War II.
The book continues:
The northernmost Australian troops in Papua were units of the 39th Militia Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel W.T. Owen. Hugely outnumbered by their opponents, this Victorian battalion, made up very largely of untrained eighteen-year-olds, made a fighting withdrawal that earned it an honoured place in Australia's military history. B Company of the 39th had advanced along a narrow track that crossed the Owen Stanley mountains to a small settlement and air strip named Kokoda, in the midst of the range. There the 95 men of the company under Captain Sam Templeton stopped and waited for the remainder of the battalion to move up the track and reinforce them.
I highlight the tremendous difference in numbers between the Australian forces—the Citizens Military Forces, with very limited training—who were facing the Japanese advance force that consisted of most experienced Japanese soldiers who had been involved in many conflicts. They were battle-tested troops. The Japanese advance forced consisted of the 144th Regiment of the South Seas Force and marines of the Naval Landing Force, and numbered more than 1,500 men. Earlier I referred to 95 Australian men; they were moving up to face conflict with 1,500 men. The first clash with Australian troops occurred on 29 July 1942, when the Japanese forward units, about 500 strong, attacked B Company.
That company consisted of only 95 men: the normal strength of a company was 100. The Japanese had superior forces and captured Kokoda within hours. Unfortunately Lieutenant Colonel Owen was among the dead. However, the strength of the Japanese numbers and their vigorous attack suddenly woke up General MacArthur and General Blamey, who seemed to have regarded that conflict as minor, and had not given it the priority it needed. From then on the Australians were always behind the eight ball, trying to catch up and dealing with the superior Japanese forces. The remainder of the 39th Battalion reinforced the 95 men in B Company. I repeat, they were all militia troops with limited training.
As Australia sent additional companies to that battalion, the Japanese reinforced and strengthened their numbers. Japanese Major General Horii arrived and his force soon totalled 13,500 soldiers, with their own mountain artillery and engineer units. To my knowledge no artillery was available to the Australian troops, which had only small arms such as rifles and Bren guns. Major General Horii detailed 6,000 men as the fighting force to capture Moresby. At that time they were opposed by about 600 Australian militia who were endeavouring to stop the Japanese advance. Later, two battalions of the 21st Brigade of the Seventh Division joined them. That is when Major General Paul Cullen became involved in the conflict. He was an officer in one of the experienced reinforcing battalions that had served in the Middle East and fought the Germans. They also were battle-tested troops and they were more than a match for the experienced Japanese soldiers.
However, we must pay tribute to the 39th Battalion of militia, who were the first soldiers to meet the Japanese and delay them. In the ongoing battle on the Kokoda Track at one point Paul Cullen was with the 2/1st Battalion, which, as part of the 16th Brigade, was moving toward the front. General MacArthur saw Paul Cullen and said:
Cullen, by some act of God your battalion of which he was the commanding officer has been chosen for this job. The eyes of the Western world are upon you. I have every confidence in you and your men. Good, luck. And don't stop.
Without hesitation, they moved forward to confront the superior and more experienced Japanese soldiers.
Paul Cullen writes the following about one of his companies in an engagement:
The Japs counterattacked. Sanderson of A Company was killed surrounded by a ring of dead Japs. The casualties were awful. If only I had been permitted to take the battalion around to the high ground. It would have saved many casualties and a week, and maybe Tubby Allen, commander of the Seventh Division, from being removed.
Sanderson was the company commander. General Blamey thought Allen was moving too slowly. He had no idea of the nature of the territory, how impassable it was and how narrow the track. He talked as if the Australians could advance on a wide front, which was impossible in that engagement. Nevertheless, the 2/1st Battalion led by Paul Cullen was able to make an uphill attack against a well-prepared and strongly entrenched Japanese force that outnumbered the attacking force 6:1. No-one would ever adopt battle tactics that sent troops against a force that was six times larger and sitting in trenches in a defensive position, but that is what the Australians did. They attacked that six-times larger force and defeated them. I am very pleased to support this motion.
The publication contains a lot of very valuable information concerning how serious was the Japanese advance and what their long-term plans were. I refer to that because I know there is some controversy in the newspapers at the moment about whether the Australian troops saved Australia in that conflict. Was there any major danger to Australia? Some people say there was no threat to Australia and that it was only a minor battle. However, the Japanese army commander, General Yamashita, had defeated the British in Malaya and captured Singapore with only 30,000 men against 100,000 men who were mainly British but also included a large number of Australians. They were forced to surrender. When he was in Allied custody after the war, General Yamashita talked about the plans to invade Australia. He told his captors that after he had taken Singapore he developed a plan to leave a strong garrison in Malaya and move his army south-east to attack Australia, using the same tactics that had led to success in Malaya. The general planned to make a number of feints and finally amphibious landings near major Australian cities to overrun them one by one. During the interrogation he said of the Australians:
All they could ever hope to do was make a guerrilla resistance in the bush. With even Sydney and Brisbane in my hands, it would have been comparatively simple to subdue Australia.
I believe we should never underestimate what were the intentions of the Japanese military. There is also other evidence to support this contention. We must support this motion and acknowledge the courage and bravery of the young Australian soldiers who defeated the Japanese on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea and saved Australia from a potential invasion. One of the key men in that victory over the Japanese was Major General Paul Cullen, citizen and soldier.