Darwin stops and remembers 77 years on from when World War II reached Australian shores

IT was 77 years ago today when veterans Mervyn Ey, Basil Stahl and Brian Winspear recall World War II first reached Australian shores, as the first air raid klaxon sounded at 9.58am

Bombing of Darwin veterans Basil Stahl, 96, from the 2nd Field Survey Corps, Brian Winspear, 99, RAAF air gunner and Mervyn Ey, 97, from the 27th Scottish Infantry Batallion, at the East Point Gun turret ahead of the Bombing of Darwin 77th Anniversary. Picture: Justin Kennedy

IT WAS 77 years ago today when veterans Mervyn Ey, Basil Stahl and Brian Winspear recall World War II first reached Australian shores as the first air raid klaxon sounded at 9.58am.

Today, they have travelled from Adelaide, the Sunshine Coast and Bicheno in Tasmania to honour their fallen mate’s memories.

Private Mervyn Ey, 97, was building barbed wire entanglements when he first heard the explosions from the bombs.

“It was worse than I expected and very traumatic,” he said.

“It needs film of something like that to give people any idea of what it was like.

“We could hear the explosions in Darwin when the American destroyer blew to bits … as I said it was very traumatic.”

He still looks back on the role of many soldiers as heroic.

“One thing that I always thought was not expressed enough was the military boys, the anti-aircraft boys and defence boys, they did not leave their post,” he said.

Mr Ey was just 20 when the bombs first fell over Darwin, as were many of his comrades. Second field survey corps survey sapper Basil Stahl was one who lived through the raids from the safety of the trenches in Larrakeyah.

“I remember it well, we’d already had … the trenches dug and when they came we all got into the trenches at Larrakeyah oval,” he said.

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“We just hopped in the trenches and let it all go by.”

After the first raid, Mr Stahl took his camera and went to see just what damage had been caused, with most of the city taking a hit.

“I took photos from all around the place. In those days there were cottages made for all the soldiers, a lot of those were damaged, the hotel was damaged,” he said.

“I took a photo of three of my mates in the big crater, a dirty big hole in Larrakeyah. that was the first bomb that hit Darwin.”

The ships in the harbour, the post office, and hotels were all severely damaged, while the trenches and barracks remained intact, seemingly not targeted by the Japanese planes.

Just 19 at the time, Mr Stahl was lucky he didn’t go too far after the first raid – he was unaware a second wave was just two hours away.

“A young fella and I got back just before 12 when the second raid came, not knowing they were going to bomb the second time,” he said.

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“We were quite lucky we didn’t get stuck somewhere in between (the two raids).”

Those two raids were the first of 86 air raids which would be carried out for more than two years.

It would leave almost 250 people dead, while a further 400 were injured in the attacks.

A re-enactment of the air raid siren when the bombs first fell will headline this morning’s commemoration ceremony, with the veterans also preparing to share their stories