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Nip and duck: Jap plane over Hobart

Friday, 17 March  2006 

Presenter: Ric Paterson

Turning Japanese: Hobart area reconnoitred by scout plane

Phillip Fowler is a driving force behind Hobart's Maritime Museum, a man who knows lots about ships and shipping and a fine model builder too, but today we're taking you back to the 1st March, 1942. Japan had just entered World War Two.

Breakfast presenter Ric Paterson asked him: "Phillip, how good is your memory for that date?"

Ric, I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was a beautiful clear morning. It was about seven o'clock; my father had been roused by the sound of this aircraft engine and had gone outside with binoculars. He called me out and said "Take the binoculars, son, and look quickly, there's a Japanese aircraft".

At the time I ranged in on the aircraft, it was between me and Mt Direction, above the line of sight from myself to the top of Mt Direction, and two-thirds of the way across the river, so its altitude would have been over 1200 feet. The aircraft was heading down the river; its motor sounded very rough.

Ric: Now everybody said that aircraft was here to take photographs of such places as the Zinc works but in fact you've seen another photo taken by that plane. The story of how you came to see that picture, and what it was of, is so interesting…would you please tell it to us?

Yes, about 20 years ago I was shown an aerial photograph of Strathaven which was the home of Russell Ibbott, a retired grazier. That photograph was taken from west of the railway line, facing north-east. It was taken, I would say, from about 1500 feet.

Now, Russell Ibbott had a son-in-law, Frank Griggs, who was a surviving Pathfinder pilot. He flew for one of the airlines - it was either TAA or Australian National Airlines - and was flying DC3s at the time. He used to fly over his father-in-law's home at no more than 1000 feet on his way to Cambridge to let them know he was coming in: "You know...get ready for tea," that sort of thing.

When Frank was in Tokyo, he met a CIA acquaintance who asked "You have a father-in-law, do you not, who lives out at Rosetta?"

"Yes", said Frank.

The CIA chap then asked him what the property was called.

"Strathaven".

"Then this photo may interest you...we found it amongst Japanese files. It was taken by an aircraft that flew over Hobart on the morning of March 1st".

Ric: Why were they taking a photo of this lovely old home Strathaven, which is now an old person's home?

Griggs was told the reason was that Strathaven had been identified as the appropriate place for the commanding General of the occupation forces to have his headquarters.

Ric: So, already those decisions had been made, that the invasion was on and that if Tasmania had been invaded, that's where headquarters would be?

Absolutely.

Why didn't anybody within range, and I'm thinking of the gun placements along the Derwent river, why didn't they take a shot at it?

Phillip laughed: "That's a fair question! Of course, I've only heard this umpteenth hand - but they couldn't find the key to the ammunition cupboard. That's as may be, but the point is this - at Dowsings Point there was a battery of 3.7 inch anti-aircraft guns. They used to have a shoot every now and then: they used to shoot up the side of Mt Direction, on the opposite side of the river. The blast, incidentally, at Montrose, used to crack our windows, so presumably a lot of others as well."

Ric: But they couldn't find the key to the cupboard that day?

Possibly not, but certainly not a shot was fired!



Audio
Listen to Phillip Fowler tell his story
Runs 4:58 in Real Audio format

Last Updated: 17/03/2006 11:22:00 AM AEDT

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