When Jack Mulholland volunteered in 1940 for service in Darwin as an aircraft gunner, he was not sure what to expect. He certainly didn't
expect what the gunners at first found: flies, heat, humidity, hard work, lack of female company and of course, boredom!
The Battery Jack joined spent 14 months training on 3" and 3.7" A/A guns. At the same time it assisted with the installation of 12 fixed 3.7" guns, providing Darwin with an anti aircraft defence of a total of two 3" and sixteen 3.7" guns.
Then, one morning in February 1942, without waning, the Ack Ack gunners were confronted with an air raid similar to that perpetrated on Pearl Harbour. The raid was the first attack on Australia by a foreign power and it caused major damage to installations and ships and resulted in many casualties.
This updated edition of Jack's controversial autobiography presents the unofficial history of the 14th Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery in Darwin. The Battery was the first army unit to engage the Japanese when they attacked Australia.
It details the way ordinary people coped with the hardships of life in the tropical north and how they reacted under fire. The reader will find an eye-witness account of the first enemy raid and a description of the reaction of the gun crews, as well as interesting anecdotes of general life in Darwin in 1940-42 and army life in particular.
Contents:
Author's notes
Foreword
The Author
Army enlistment
Staging camp
Troopship life
Darwin and the Top End
Training A/A Gunners
Introduction to the new 3.7" guns
The other blokes
Residing at Berrimah
Surprise
Red spots
Respite
We were not shamed
Other incidents
Homeward bound
Postscript
Appendix
- Civilian evacuation
- The RAAF
- General comments
Anti-Aircraft Awards
Nominal Roll
Index – Proper names
Index – Other units, aircraft and ships
Index – General
Glossary and abbreviations
Bibliography
