Private Eric Joyce was all alone in the New Guinea
jungle, with Japanese gunfire all around him not sure how to get back to his
battalion without running into his enemy the Japs. He needed courage with every
step to go on.
Why was Eric all alone you ask? It was at Templeton’s Crossing on the Kokoda
track during World War 11 and his CO had asked him to stand at
the crossroad to direct the company that was following onto the right track
then wait and come up with them. However the commander of that company said “We
do not need you now, you can go up and join your own battalion. Maybe commander
didn’t realize how away far Eric’s company had traveled.
Alone Eric set off, afraid of what was before him, for
the terrain was rough steep, very wet and he could meet up with the enemy at
any time.
After he had trudged for over an hour Eric sat down
for a short break to catch his breath and to get his bearings. When from out of
nowhere a Jap sniper’s bullet whistled pass his ear terrifying him into action
he tumbled behind the nearest tree. Eric couldn’t see where the sniper was
hiding so he slithered on his stomach till he was well away from that area.
Again only courage and knowing his battalion was not far away kept him going.
Eric could now see his fellow soldiers the 2nd/1st
battalion through the trees and
was about to come out of the jungle to join them, when shells from an
anti-aircraft gun started landing all around them killing many of his mates.
From his position Eric could see exactly were the shell were coming from and he
knew that if he could get back to C. Company they could help.
This meant going back through the jungle on his own,
so he plucked up the courage and again headed into the unknown.
Eric Finally reached C Company, told them the
situation. He was then able to show the soldiers where the gun was. The company
then circled around behind the Japanese and the gunman was killed saving a lot
of their mates from death.
After this incident Eric was promoted to sergeant and
was well liked by all the men in his section.
These soldiers went through many hardships together,
Often wet to the skin for days on end from the constant rain, little food and
sleep, they had to endure heat, files, mosquitoes, dysentery and malaria. They
all had to have courage just to survive.
Many became heroes, many dyeing
for their country. Out of the original 2nd /1st
Battallion 6th Division that was sent to New Guinea, less than fifty
survived, lucky for Eric he was one of these.
Eric was discharged from the army on the 10 March 1944
because he was continually coming down with bouts of malaria which left him too
sick to continue in the harsh army life.
I would like to thank all those men and women who had
the courage to face the enemy to save us all.
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