ENAbout
The War Diaries of John Crothers, a forest ranger from Atherton, in north Queensland, who served with the 31/51st Australian Infantry Battalion as a mechanic and driver in Queensland and Merauke, Dutch New Guinea.
His diary entries cover his daily activities including his observation of the Japanese bombing raid on Townsville, May 1942 and the Townsville Mutiny in which African American servicemen launched a riot at their camp in response to racial taunts and abuse from white officers.
This narrative is difficult to read, and it is a rare item in our collection. Your work deciphering his bad handwriting will help us better describe the collection and provide a valuable and searchable research tool.
Crothers’ observations and language reflect the experiences of an ordinary young man in an extraordinary time – of war.
View other items in the Library's collections relating to Merauke
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