Soaring from history
RSL Wartime Treasure Hunt City experience big opportunity
DURING the early critical months of the Pacific War, Catalina flying boats of 11 and 20 Squadrons Royal Australian Air Force played a significant part in slowing the initial Japanese advance.
Although deficient in speed, arms and armour they exerted an influence out of all proportion to their limited numbers.
Armed with bombs, depth charges, mines or torpedoes they reached out from Cairns in single flights to the Solomons, New Britain, New Guinea and the Netherlands East Indies and, by stages and in increasing strength, to the Palaus, Philippines, Formosa and China.
In May 1945, with the reinforcement of 42 and 43 Squadrons, the Catalinas were distributing landmines along the South China coast. THE Cairns RSL Sub-Branch has partnered with the Cairns Post to deliver you a Wartime Treasure Hunt. Teams – made up of one or more participants under the age of 18 – must register by sending an email to admin@cairnsrslsubbranch .com.au with the subject line “Wartime Treasure Hunt” and the following details: Team name, names of team members, which school, sporting or community group you belong to, and contact
In July, as the test atom bomb exploded in New Mexico, the Catalinas were at full stretch mining the Banka Straits off Sumatra.
In the years between, these four squadrons attacked most of the enemy strongholds phone number. To register an interest each week: 1. Using the clues in the story, go to the site, take a photo of yourself and/or an item of your team’s uniform at the site. 2. Upload the image to our Facebook event page Wartime Treasure Hunt at goo.gl/ uY2Ahn 3. Tag the Cairns Post and use the hashtags #wartimetreasurehunt #(insert your team name) #cairnsrsl within this Pacific region. Many times, mostly at night.
Catalinas bombed the enemy and mined their harbours, swept their sea lanes with radar eyes and parachuted supplies or set down on unlit beaches to maintain our coast watchers in their midst.
The Catalinas also were the flying boats who escorted armadas of ships, harried submarines and plucked from the sea, soldiers and sailors and many aircrew, some within rifle shot of the enemy.
For two years Cairns was the Catalinas’ operational base and the people of Cairns were the refuge and strength of those who flew them.
Cairns was unique in that a fraction of its population was in almost daily contact with the enemy forces.
The city of Cairns pulsed day and night to the passage of armed aircraft directly attacking the enemy.
The plaque text revives the memory for the residents of Cairns and troops who served here during this time.