In the lead up to Anzac Day on Sunday we look at a lesser known battle of the Second World War and its link to Mount Isa.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Battle of Porton Plantation took place from June 8-10 1945 near the village of Soraken on Bougainville Island and involved the 31st/51st Infantry Battalion (predecessor of today's 51st Far North Queensland Regiment).
The amphibious landing was a failure, but Australian troops on the beachhead were successfully rescued, just as they were at Gallipoli 30 years earlier.
The battle of Porton formed part of Australian efforts to liberate the northern part of Bougainville, an island the Japanese had controlled since 1942.
American troops landed on the island in 1943 in an effort to end support for the Japanese at the port of Rabaul on New Britain.
After the Japanese counter-attacked there was a stalemate for many months as the American concentrated their firepower elsewhere in the campaign.
In November 1944 Australian troops took over responsibility for Bougainville and they began a slow campaign to eliminate the Japanese from island strongholds.
With priorities still in Borneo, the Australians made little headway.
In June 1945 the plan was to outflank the Japanese with a landing on the northern side of the island.
The Australian landing force consisted of 190 men embarked on six landing craft, supported by artillery.
They thought the enemy was roughly similar sized but in fact they were confronted by a Japanese force of between 400 and 500 men.
The first three landing craft successfully made it ashore but decided to wait at the beach for the others instead of pressing inland.
The second three landing craft came in with reinforcements, heavy weapons and other support elements, however, they ran aground on a coral reef and the men aboard were forced to wade ashore.
The delay allowed the Japanese to regroup and their machine-gun fire stopped the Australians from unloading their equipment.
The landing spot in darkness was 250m of the target leaving them in the "arc of enemy trenches and pill-boxes with a radius of about 400 yards."
The Australians were unable to reinforce their position due to a bad tide and heavy fire and they were hemmed in on three sides with diminishing rations.
By the following morning the situation was critical and though they were supported by artillery fire and air support, the decision was made to withdraw amid growing casualties.
They freed one of the stranded landing crafts and using three assault boats they gradually ferried the survivors back to the landing craft which set off for Soraken.
Others swam over 5km through the shark-infested waters to Torokori Island or were rescued at sea.
The failure to take Porton meant the Australians concentrated remaining efforts to take the south of the island and offensive action continued to the end of the war on August 11.
One of the guns used at Porton,a QF 25 Pounder featuring a dent from a Japanese bullet made it home with 51FNQ and eventually made its way to Mount Isa where it was displayed for many years at George McCoy Park.
In 2015 it was moved to West St when the cenotaph was relocated to outside the Civic Centre.
READ ALSO: Mount Isa man set for Indigenous marathon
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
Bookmark https://www.northweststar.com.au/
Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Google News
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
