Casualties during Australian military operations in New Guinea 1914–1919

Abstract

AbstractCasualties during the occupation of German New Guinea by the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force starting in September 1914 were limited to six dead during a few initial armed clashes and the loss of RAN submarine AE‐1, followed by a few years of tropical disease exposures. A dengue epidemic affected most soldiers within a month of their arrival in Rabaul. Subsequently, a malaria epidemic swept through the occupation forces in January 1915 infecting a majority of the soldiers and killing five. Malaria was eventually controlled by daily draughts of quinine solution. Diarrhoea/dysentery was a particular concern among the local contract labour force. Skin diseases were a major chronic problem of tropical service. Twenty‐seven non‐combat deaths over 4 years (<1%/year) were considered a ‘healthy’ outcome for the occupation force which consisted largely of men unfit for active service in the Australian Imperial Force. No one should under‐estimate the modern requirement to protect non‐immune soldiers or travellers going to Papua New Guinea for extended periods.