By Lt-Cmdr Greg Swinden
A SIGNIFICANT piece of Australia’s military history is now in better shape thanks to the men and women of HMAS Kanimbla.

While operating near Christmas Island during the ships’ recent Op Relex II deployment, several soldiers and sailors expended much blood and sweat to refurbish a six-inch gun emplacement and observation post, which overlooks Flying Fish Cove.

The six-inch gun was made in 1900 and installed at Christmas Island in late 1940. It was manned by men from the Royal Artillery who made up part of the island’s garrison.

Christmas Island was, and still is, a large supplier of phosphate for the Australian and South-East Asian agricultural market and with the potential threat of war with Japan, the island’s defences were increased.

In February 1942 a Japanese submarine sank a phosphate-carrying vessel off the island and the gun was fired in anger in an attempt to sink this enemy sub.

In March 1942 the Japanese invaded Christmas Island – the majority of the island’s garrison was made up of Indian Army troops who refused to fight the Japanese.

Several of these men rose up in a mutiny against the British troops on the island and murdered them before surrendering to the invading Japanese.

The five Royal Artillerymen manning the six-inch gun were among those killed and their bodies were dumped over nearby cliffs into the sea.

After WW2 the gun fell into disrepair. In 1983 a major restoration of the gun emplacement was undertaken.

The site was visited in July this year and it was found that the ravages of time had again taken their toll with the gun.

An offer was made to the Christmas Island Shire Council to refurbish the site and this was eagerly accepted by the council’s chief engineer, Gary Dunt, and the Island Administrator Cdre Bill Taylor (RAN Retired).

HMAS Kanimbla’s volunteer work parties, consisting of both Navy and Army personnel, stripped the gun of its layers of rust, repainted it and the emplacements external walls and removed 20 years of dust, rubble, weeds and trees.

The trees surrounding the observation post were cut down, as were 50m of thick vegetation on the seaward side of the gun to allow both to be more visible to visitors.

The Christmas Island Shire Council provided most of the tools, concrete and paint for the venture with the ship providing the muscle.

The refurbishment took place over several weekends with groups of sailors and soldiers giving up their own time to ensure this important part of Australian history remained intact and in good condition.

The site will become part of the Christmas Island Museum linked to the nearby Colonial Administrators House, which is being opened as a museum in this month.

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