1 May 1941
The Australian coastwatching network was established to provide information on the movements and disposition of enemy forces in the South Pacific during the Second World War. The intelligence that they gathered played a significant part in the execution of the war in the Pacific. Additionally they facilitated the rescue of scores of stranded Allied servicemen.
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) had been establishing a coastwatching network in Australia and the South Pacific since the 1920s. By the outbreak of the Second World War, hundreds of coastwatchers had already been recruited. Responsibility for the network fell to Lieutenant Commander Eric Feldt RAN. He was an intelligence staff officer at Port Moresby who had been a New Guinea resident for several years.
Initially, coastwatchers were all civilians, with the exception of one naval rating on Anir Island. Each coastwatching station sent coded messages via tele radio to receiving stations at larger centres. They were in located in places such as Port Moresby and Rabaul. In turn, the messages were forwarded onto the Naval Intelligence Division in Australia. Their operational area stretched from the border between New Guinea and Dutch New Guinea in the west to Vanuatu in the east.
The coastwatchers themselves were all experienced islanders. They were mainly white Europeans who had settled in the territories. All relied heavily on the support of the indigenous people. Most indigenous islanders remained loyal even in Japanese-occupied territory. However, many died carrying out their duties.
As civilians, most coastwatchers were advised to cease their operations and evacuate as the Japanese advanced into their territory. However, the vast majority of them chose to continue their activities. This was in spite of the knowledge that capture could result in their execution as spies.
In March 1942, following the execution of an elderly planter the coastwatchers were given ranks or ratings. They were mostly in the Volunteer Reserve, in the hope that this would provide them some protection in the event of capture. In many instances, it did not.
One of the coastwatchers’ most important contributions in the Pacific theatre was the intelligence provided during the Allied campaign at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The network on the Solomons continued to provide intelligence even as the Japanese occupied the islands. This intelligence was used to identify the position of Japanese guns, defence works and other installations.
Following the Allied landing on 7 August 1942, coastwatchers alerted Allied forces on Guadalcanal to incoming Japanese air raids. This allowed them to prepare for, and repel, the enemy aircraft. Coastwatchers continued to provide information about Japanese dispositions throughout the campaign.
More than 700 people served in the coastwatching network during the course of the war.