Chimbu participation in the pacific war

At least 4,000 Chimbu civilians were recruited during the Highlands Campaign between May and August 1943. Domestic press coverage emphasised the role of stretcher‐bearers at Kokoda, deflecting public attention from the widespread use of indigenous labour for road and airstrip building and the carrying of materiel in other parts of PNG. A high proportion of Chimbu were recruited forcibly by the Native Constabulary. Witnesses recorded an inadequate diet and harsh conditions for the labourers. Village life was substantially disrupted, both through the absence of young males for traditional tasks and the introduction of dysentery. In their absence Christian missionaries were unable to intervene on their behalf. The long‐term effects included the introduction of malaria to the PNG Highlands and the desire of labourers to return to their own land, eventually to grow coffee. Widespread recruitment introduced labourers to the exigencies of modem warfare and the efficacy of advanced technology. The operation laid the foundations for the building of the Highlands highway and the gradual modernisation of the region

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• Australia in New Guinea

  Linden A Mander, L P Mair•Pacific Affairs•1949

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• The Chimbu

  Robert Layton, Paula Brown•Man•1973

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