The passing of another of Jim's children

The year of 2012 saw another of Jim's children pass away.  My great Auntie Joan was Jim and Annie Cowey's 3rd and youngest daughter.  On the 26th August 2012, the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Isurava where her father fought to the limits of his endurance, Auntie Joan passed away.

Auntie Joan left behind many sweet and amusing anecdotes of her early family life at The Patch.  She was also very kind to answer specific questions I had about her father.  I hope to include some if not all of her recollections and imagery in my book, to paint a fuller picture of Jim Cowey and of course his loving and supporting family, of which she was a part.

RIP Auntie Joan.

A friend's connection to Kokoda

Here is a link to a story written by a friend of mine, Bruce McClean, who I met when we trekked Kokoda together.

Douglas McClean MC 

The subject is Bruce's Great Uncle, Douglas McClean MC.  Doug McClean's Military Cross was the "first (awarded) in the South Pacific area as well as being on Australian territory".   You will agree he was a legend!

Kokoda Day 2012 - 70th Anniversary

On the 8th of August 2012, it was 70 years since Kokoda was retaken by A Coy of the 39th Battalion - my great grandfather Jim Cowey's company.   On that day, Jim himself fired the flare to signal to Battalion HQ (located in Deniki) that Kokoda was once again held by the Australians.  But the signal was not seen.  Soon after, heavy fighting with the better prepared and equipped Japanese Imperial Army took place and the Kokoda legend was born.  During that battle, the 39th battalion faced a formidable foe who at the time were considered the best jungle fighters in the world.  The Australians were pushed to their limits without adequate ammunition or supplies or training in jungle warfare to support their defence of Kokoda and the strategic airstrip.  After almost 2 days of fighting and using almost all ammunition at their disposal, Captain Symington (in command of A Coy) decided there was no other option available to him but to order his men to withdraw back to Deniki.  

From AWM Collection, ID Number 026319:  "PAPUA. 1942-08. WOUNDED MEMBERS OF THE 39TH INFANTRY BATTALION MAKING THEIR WAY BACK ALONG A JUNGLE TRAIL TO THE BASE HOSPITAL. THEY ARE ALL SUFFERING FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS SUSTAINED IN THE FIGHTING AGAINST THE JAPS IN THE KOKODA AREA. TO REACH THE HOSPITAL AREA THEY HAD TO WALK FOR NEARLY SIX DAYS THROUGH THICK JUNGLE".

It is in the withdrawal that my great grandfather made a decision that would change the immediate fate of 8 or 9 young men in his company.  Jim Cowey stayed behind at Kokoda after the main body of A Coy had left.  He knew there were young blokes left behind who did not get the message to withdraw.  Like a mother hen protecting her young, 52-year-old-Jim gathered these boys up and remained "as cool as a cucumber" throughout his stressful and highly dangerous undertaking.  At this time, "grenades were still exploding in weapon pits and the Japanese were thrusting their bayonets under huts" in search of cut-off Australians.  In this hostile environment, Jim Cowey calmly organised his gathered crew into single file and together they simply walked out of Kokoda in the dark under Jim's leadership - over the bridge, across the airstrip and into the relative safety of the jungle.  Jim kept watch over his young comrades while they slept that night and the next day they went in search of the main body of A Coy.  They stumbled upon a Japanese machine gun crew along the way and Jim disposed of them, continuing his display of calm confidence.  But the heat was then on, so Jim's group again went bush.  After a time, they came upon the village of Naro and there they found the main body of A Coy.  There was quiet celebration in Naro that day, as Jim's group had been written off by their comrades, thought to have been surely lost in the fierce, close fighting at Kokoda.  Jim's story was to continue in Papua....

*****

For many, many years, the 39th Battalion veterans, their family members and descendants (and the general public) have been making an annual pilgrimage to The Shrine in Melbourne for Kokoda Day.  For the official 70th Anniversary commemorations, a special Kokoda Day was planned with the Governor General Quentin Bryce in attendance to deliver an address.  Interestingly, we share a birthday, and also she was born the December in the year the Kokoda battles actually took place.  

For this special Kokoda Day, I brought my 2 young children with me to The Shrine so that they could be present as direct descendants of a 39th Battalion veteran.  I took Aidan (then 5) out of school for the day but still dressed him in his uniform, I guess as a mark of respect for the occasion.  My daughter Aoife had just turned 3 the weekend before and together we travelled down to Melbourne in the family car.

On the way we talked about Jim Cowey, and I explained to my kids that there was "2 big wars" that their great great grandfather fought in and that this special day was all about the second time he fought.  (Coincidentally, the 8th of August 2012 was also the 94th anniversary of the "Black Day" of Germany's WW1 campaign, where the Allies, including Jim's then 46th Battalion with whom he held rank of Lieutenant, ferociously attacked the German defences along the Western Front.  That was 24 years before Kokoda).  My kids listened when I said we were going to meet people who knew him, people he taught and that we'd also meet families of people who fought with him.  I tried to articulate to them the solemness of the day and that there would be a lot of quiet times that we would have to be still and listening for.  I guess it was a big ask for them to remain still and quiet for the whole ceremony, but I wanted them to be there, to be a part of it.  It was important.  Unfortunately, it didn't exactly work out the way I had hoped (dreamed? :) ).  The kids were a little fidgety after the car-ride and were wanting to giggle with each other during the ceremony in the Crypt.  I was quite on edge trying to keep them both in line and respectful, wary of the solemn atmosphere and the veterans themselves, who on this day were revisiting their war service and without doubt would not appreciate a "display" from young children when they were trying to commemorate their fallen comrades.  In the end, I guess I sacrificed my own enjoyment of the day by choosing to keep the kids quiet instead of concentrating completely on the speeches made.  But I was glad that I was there as a great granddaughter of James Picken Cowey, MC.  I was glad that my children were there too, and even more importantly, that they got to meet the veterans and families of those Jim Cowey served with, some who he even saved during the campaign that formed part of the Battle for Australia, 70 years ago.

We were welcomed very briefly to the ceremony by the current President of the 39th Australian Infantry Battalion Association, Norm Stockdale.  The Governor General Quentin Bryce then spoke and the veterans really seemed to appreciate her address and in all were quite impressed with her representation and attention to them on the day.  Rev Peter Holloway led the gathered crowd in prayers and Alan "Kanga" Moore recited the Ode. Overwhelmingly however, the most moving part of the ceremony for me was when 39th battalion veteran George Cops came to the microphone.  Mr Cops is a lovely man and I've been lucky to meet him and his wife and family, and they truly are "good people", always friendly, welcoming and ready for a chat.  My children by this stage had settled down and so a poignant silence enveloped us that made Mr Cops' delivery even more special.  His voice filled The Crypt as he read out the names of the fallen, his very own friends and comrades.  Many names resonated from A Coy's story....Johnny Stormont, Vern Scattergood, Bill Drummond, Tony Ruwolt and Jim's friend George Mowat.  But the sheer number of names, of mostly young men cut down in their prime so that we may enjoy our freedoms, was striking to me.  As are the statistics: after the Owen Stanley Campaign only 185 able-bodied men were left out of 500 soldiers who started up the track.  After being reinforced with a further 600 men, the 39th continued to fight at the beachhead battles of Gona, Buna and Sanananda and at the end of the bitter fighting against the Japanese, only 7 officers and 25 other ranks remained fit for active duty!  On the Kokoda Track and the beachheads, the 39th Battalion, and more importantly Australia, lost 135 men in Papua.  Hearing their names read aloud really drove home that point.  It truly was an emotional moment.

Afterwards, we enjoyed meeting up with the 39th Battalion veterans and their families, and those who also make up the greater "39th Battalion family".  I am proud and honoured to call them my friends now too.  

Lorraine Cochrane, daughter of 39th battalion veteran J.D. McKay MM DSM with Aoife and Aidan Lynch, the great great Grandchildren of Jim Cowey MC!  JD always maintained that Jim Cowey saved his life at Kokoda - JD was in the group of young men that Jim led out.

39th battalion veteran John Akhurst with my children. John was a friend of Jim Cowey and they met up again after the Kokoda campaign at the Sellheim Camp in QLD - Jim was going home and John was on his way back to Papua to fight in the beachhead battles. John says that Jim gave him the "head's up" about what to expect from the Japanese, which he said he was lucky to have.

39th battalion veteran Rev Peter Holloway with Aidan and Aoife after the Kokoda Day ceremony. Peter officiated at Jim Cowey's funeral in 1968.

My Kokoda Day Album 

2012 ANZAC Day in Melbourne

2012 was a special year for the 39th Battalion.  It marked the 70th anniversary of many of the conflicts the 39th were involved in in World War II, including the battles Jim Cowey actively took part in:  Kokoda, Isurava and Eora Creek.

39th Battalion (WW2) Banner as we are forming up ready to march to The Shrine

I took the train down to Melbourne, making the most of my time and absorbing the spirit of ANZAC by reading the history of Jim's first unit, the 14th battalion.  Jim was in D company along with the most famous member of the14th, Australia's first WW1 Victoria Cross recipient Albert Jacka.  Amazingly, Jim was Jacka's Sergeant for a time.  The majority of the 14th battalion landed on Gallipoli on the 26th April 1915, the day after the very first ANZAC Day.  The 14th were in reserve for the landing, and the battalion boasts the battle honour "Landing at Gallipoli".  My great grandfather was an original ANZAC!

I arrived at Southern Cross station around 8am, greeted by terrible weather.  Cold wind and heavy showers of rain sent shivers over me, but that may also have been exacerbated by a case of nerves.  For some reason the importance of ANZAC Day was particularly affecting me this day and thinking about it now, it was probably a combination of the 70th anniversary year, me being a first time marcher, and the possibility that it was the first time Jim Cowey MC was ever represented in the main Melbourne ANZAC Day March.  I am not even 100% sure if Jim Cowey himself marched when he was alive.  The 39th Diggers I have interviewed couldn't remember Jim marching under the banner of the 39th, although his comrades believed he marched with one of his WW1 units.

As the rain pelted down, I was reminded of what I was doing on the previous ANZAC Day.  Then living in the nation of our WW1 cobbers, New Zealand, I was pounding the tracks around Auckland in similar rain (albeit in wet weather gear) training for a trek along the Kokoda Track.  I was then shaping up to be the fittest I've ever been.  Training that day seemed a long way from the solemn atmosphere of St Kilda Road, almost a year after I walked across the Owen Stanley Range in my great grandfather's footsteps.

As we marshalled, ready to set off to the Shrine, I was happy to meet a few people connected to the 39th due to their fathers or grandfathers or great uncles fighting alongside my great grandfather.  Jim was much older than the majority of Australians fighting at Kokoda, being 52 at the time of the conflict.  I was positioned at the rear of the 39th group next to the daughter of an esteemed member of the 39th and she spoke to me about her father's opinions surrounding the march.  He was a stickler for order and had the highest respect for the occasion of the March, as it was a reminder to him of the ultimate price paid by his comrades.  He held the opinion that the soldiers didn't have umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain, so why should the marchers?  No hats, no walking - march in time!  I thought about this, and remembered what my grandmother told me about her upbringing, and remembered what my Dad and other family members experienced regarding Jim Cowey's sternness and strict house rules.  I didn't think Jim would abide an umbrella!  So I decided a little rain (or a lot!) would not hurt me and gave a thought to the men and boys that couldn't march because they never came home 70 years ago.  It was almost time to start. I had a quick picture with 39th veteran John Akhurst who was riding in the jeep ahead of us with 3 other veterans including Rev Peter Holloway, both having a connection with Jim's story.

39th Battalion veteran Mr John Akhurst with me before the start of the March. Rev Peter Holloway is left of John.

The March itself was a surreal experience for me.  As I walked to the Shrine, people along the route clapped and were quite jovial.  Part of the poem "Suicide in the Trenches" reverberates around my mind when I think of the March:
"You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye, Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know, The Hell where youth and laughter go."
I knew the people weren't clapping for me, but I felt a little self conscious all the same.  I kept looking ahead at the old diggers in the jeep, seeing them smile and wave back to the crowds.  A few veterans have said they don't march for themselves, they march so those who never came home are represented and remembered.  One veteran told me he never wanted to march again after leaving the army, and only started marching when he saw the numbers were dwindling.  Another veteran said every April 25th (and reunions) stirred up his nerves so much that he suffered badly for a fortnight afterwards.  But I wonder what the diggers experience when people clap, how it makes them feel when people applaud their war service?  I imagine ANZAC Day must be a bittersweet time for veterans - they fought for their country including the people clapping, they also had to fight and kill to survive, but they saw their mates cut down in their prime.  There must be a part of their soul tucked away, some deeper than others, devoted to their war experience that only other diggers can relate to.  I can't even begin to imagine what that is like.

After Eyes Right at the Eternal Flame, we congregated together in the gardens around the Shrine for more catch-ups.  I was delighted to chat with Lorraine Cochrane, daughter of well-known 39th veteran J.D McKay, and her husband Peter.  Our families are connected because of Kokoda - J.D. always credited Jim Cowey for saving his life at Kokoda during the withdrawal when Jim rounded up about 8 or 9 lads who had been cut off from the main body of A Coy in the confusion.  It was Lorraine and Peter's first ANZAC Day since J.D. passed away.

Afterwards I explored the Shrine and surrounds and then had a beer at Young and Jackson's before heading to Southern Cross to catch the train back to Ballarat.  It was a day to remember.

Lest We Forget

Here's to a productive 2013!

Well the new year has kicked off and invariably we all look at our lives and assess what we can improve or change.  

My attention to this blog certainly waned in 2012 and I'm a little disappointed I have let almost a year lapse since my previous post.  In that time I've had a few interesting things happen along the course of capturing my great grandfather's story. 

I will now regularly blog over the coming weeks with the events that transpired since my last post, the idea being that while I'm bringing my journey up to date, I will also create a habit of writing and sharing that will no doubt assist the penning of my great grandfather's biography.

Can't wait to see what will result by the end of 2013.  Who knows, maybe I will have a completed book!

RIP Great Uncle Dave

Today Jim Cowey's only surviving son David, passed away. He had been suffering multiple cancers in his life, but particularly melanomas in his final months. He was a lovely man, someone who I got to know only recently while interviewing him extensively for my book. Uncle Dave gave so generously to me when he had every right to be selfish. His time was precious yet he spent hours answering questions from me. His answers about his father's life and struggles were bluntly honest, yet filled with love and respect.

Thank you, Uncle Dave, rest in peace.

An article that I wrote for the 39th Battalion Association magazine "The Good Guts"

http://www.kokodahistorical.com.au/images/GG172-AUG-11extract.pdf


This article is about my trip to PNG to trek the Kokoda Track with Komplete Kokoda/Kokoda Historical.

On my Facebook page  "A Fighting Life"  you can see a link to 3 albums I put on my personal profile.  Just scroll to 4th October 2011.

Or you can just click the links below:

Album 1 - Beachheads and Kokoda

Album 2 - first part of Kokoda Track

Album 3 - The final leg to Ower's Corner