Genealogy Data Page 254 (Notes Pages)

Individuals marked with a red dot

are direct ancestors of Paul Francis Sherriff
For privacy reasons, Date of Birth and Date of Marriage for persons believed to still be living are not shown.

Watts, Fay Jeanette {I05061} (b. 10 JUL 1942, d. 5 JUN 1988)

Source: (Birth)
Title: Pam Bye's Tree at RootsWeb
Media: Electronic

Death: 5 JUN 1988

Reference: 5061

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Watts, Athol French {I05062} (b. 11 OCT 1911, d. 23 JAN 1942)

Note: Debt of Honour Register: In Memory of
ATHOL FRENCH WATTS Private VX26671 A.I.F. 2/22 Bn., Australian Infantry

who died on
Friday 23 January 1942 . Age 30 .

Cemetery: RABAUL MEMORIAL Papua New Guinea
Grave or Reference Panel Number: Panel 28.

The Rabaul Memorial commemorates over 1,200 members of the Australian Army (including personnel of the New Guinea and Papuan local forces and constabulary) and the Royal Australian Air Force, who lost their lives in New Britain and New Ireland in January and February 1942, and in New Britain from November 1944 to August 1945, and who have no known grave.

New Britain was formerly a German possession. Rabaul was the scene of the first fighting by Australian troops in the 1914-1918 War, when they seized the German wireless station on the site of which now stands the War Cemetery. In January 1942, after three weeks of air bombardment, Rabaul was attacked by the Japanese from the sea, and overwhelming odds soon broke the defence.

It is estimated that against the original garrison of 1,500 the Japanese landed 17,000 men in the immediate vicinity of Rabaul. Though forced to withdraw the garrison left between 3,000 and 4,000 Japanese dead on the shores of the bay and the harbour. The defenders split into small groups and while some managed to escape by sea a great number were killed or captured. Of the latter many were murdered, and most of the remainder were drowned when the ship taking them, together with some 200 civilians, to the Philippine Islands was torpedoed and sunk. Nevertheless a number of the original garrison ran the gauntlet of the Japanese patrol and reached Australian territory in small vessels, overlooked when the Japanese commander sent destroyers steaming up and down the coast smashing all the boats to be found.

Small forces on New Ireland, which lies near and north-north-east of New Britain, had been attacked and overwhelmed on January 21st, 1942. It was not until November 1944 that New Britain was again the scene of fighting, when the 5th Australian Division landed at Jacquinot Bay, and the 11th Division at Wide Bay. The two Divisions cleared the north and south coasts and bottled up the enemy in the Gazelle Peninsula. Here the Japanese were contained until the final surrender in August 1945, when the number of their troops was found to be nearly 90,000.