The Bombing of Darwin: Telecommunications in Times of War

Abstract

19 February 2017 marks the 75^th anniversary of the first Japanese air raid on Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory and its gateway to Asia. The first bombing raid targeted the flotilla of ships in the harbour and key infrastructure such as telecommunications, severing the vulnerable north of Australia from the rest of the country. But the severance was short-lived, thanks to the efforts of dedicated staff of the Postmaster-General’s Department who worked tirelessly under arduous conditions to maintain essential communications between the warfront in the north and the rest of the nation to the south.