The story of the Moonby
Harry Harris, a Ventnor school boy during World War 2, remembered seeing a huge explosion out to sea off the coastline from Kitty Miller’s Bay, and says that at the time, he assumed that a ship had been torpedoed.
But information was severely restricted in the war years, and no official account has ever been forthcoming.
But former Phillip Island RSL president the late Hughie Grigg was able to solve the mystery, some 50 years later, with the following account he related at the RSL in Cowes in the 1990’s.
Hughie knew the owner of a boat called “The Moonby.”
He said a Mr Stokes had built and outfitted the boat prior to the outbreak of war, and he intended to use it as a gambling vessel, but outside the heads of Port Phillip Bay (because gambling at the time was illegal in Victoria).
But war intervened and the boat was requisitioned or commandeered by the Australian authorities.
It was commissioned for service in the islands to the north of Australia.
The Moonby was en route there, when those on board failed to acknowledge a radio signal.
The RAAF had orders to bomb it, and did so when its position was found to be somewhere between Phillip Island and Inverloch.
The big bang and flash out to sea off Kitty Miller’s Bay seen by Phillip Island residents was indeed a ship being torpedoed, and according to Hughie’s account, was almost certainly the Moonby.
The Island’s Volunteer Defence Force
A platoon of 50 men
By Raymond Grayden
Raymond Grayden enlisted in a Volunteer Defence Force which was established on Phillip Island in 1939, and was in operation for the duration of the Second World War.
A platoon of 54 men, mainly farmers, enlisted.
The platoon manned a 24 hour watch on the Island’s Bass Strait coastline, operating in six hour shifts mainly from the Nobbies Kiosk, and were on the lookout for any signs of invasion, that it was feared may come.
Raymond recorded his recollections of those war years, and they are republished here.
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There is one area of memories of more recent history which is very meaningful to those residents who were living here on this Island during the War Time years of 1939-1945.
My brother Phillip Grayden, joined the Navy and I continued on the farm with my father milking the 60 dairy cows.
Brother Phillip was posted to service on the Armed Merchant Cruiser Kanimbla, which operated in the Persian Gulf for several months escorting goods for Russia.
We farmers who were left on this Island enlisted in the newly formed Volunteer Defence Corps to be trained in part time service.
A whole platoon of 54 men was enlisted and it operated in conjunction with a number of platoons in South Gippsland; Leongatha being the Battalion Headquarters.
Phillip Island was No.4 Platoon and had four senior officers and four junior officers.
Our first assignment was a 24 hour watch on the Island’s Bass Strait coastline, operating in six hour shifts mainly from the Nobbies Kiosk.
We had our first experience of daylight saving and we learned what it was like to walk about in daylight at 9.30 p.m.
Waiting to take turn on watch was rather dull, and the owner of Erehwon Guest House at Cowes, Cr W Dawson Davie – appealed to the guests there to assist in purchasing a battery powered radio for the men on duty at the Nobbies.
The officers were first fitted with dark green uniforms, then the time came when the whole Platoon was issued with conventional Khaki uniforms, including boots, hat, rifle and bayonet – even a tin hat. We were trained in the use of rifles (with and without bayonets).
Also in several type of machine, mortars, in patrolling day and night, and also in the use of high explosives. We were shown how to cut a railways line by placing four pounds of gelignite on the rail and exploding it.
Qualified Army Instructors put the men through strenuous physical training and also methods of unarmed combat.
There was murmuring in the Platoon that men of the ranks should have more say in the planning of the day and night outdoor manoeuvres.
Private John B Cleeland suggested that 60 sets of brains would be more effective than six sets. Sergeant Harry Justice said: “Yes, I agree. Even if they are only sheep’s brains!”
We were shown how to throw hand grenades (very dangerous things). When the officer in charge said “If you pull the pin and don’t throw the grenade, don’t fail to replace the pin before you put it in the bag with the 23 other grenades, ” Sergeant Vic Justice remarked: “Yes, The noise would deafen you!”
Cowes also had a 24 hour aircraft watching station manned by civilian volunteers.
Worked hard for war effort
As a nine year old child living on Phillip Island, Kevin Findlay heard news in 1939 that war had been declared while at the home of his cousin, while behind their dairy, on an electric radio.
He raced home to tell his parents, who he remembers were “stunned”.
A pupil at Cowes Primary School at the time, he recalled that life went on fairly normally at first, until 1942, when reality really set in with the bombing of Darwin, and the Sydney submarine episodes.
“The war then came to Cowes Primary School in a major way,” said Kevin.
“We had vegetable gardens at school to help with food supplies. These were instigated by head teacher Kevin Gerrity.
Quotations from Winston Churchill were framed and put up on the classroom walls.
“We were regularly trained in the use of zigzag trenches dug at the school in the event of an attack.”
“Bombs were brought into school to show us. Magnesium was even used to demonstrate the effects of incendiary bombing.”
Kevin remembers that all Cowes Primary School children had to have a small suitcase packed at home, because of the possibility that they might be evacuated at a moment’s notice from the Island to other parts of Gippsland.
This was because of the Islands close proximity to the naval base at Cerberus, and the thought that the island could be strategic to the enemy’s plans.
School children worked hard for war effort
The children at the school, which was then in Thompson avenue, where the Civic Centre now stands, collected every bit of scrap metal, aluminium, rubber and other recyclable material in the district for re-use.
The girls knitted scarfs, mittens, socks and made protective clothing for distribution, and many a penny concert was held to raise funds for the war effort.
Every adult had an ID card, Kevin remembers, and based on that, they were issued with ration books for tea, butter, sugar, meat and where appropriate, petrol.
As a member of the Cowes community, Kevin had some fairly onerous duties, for one so young.
But this was expected and all part of the war effort.
He was a member of the Volunteer Air Observers’ Corps; and he was a war savings collector, going from home to home each week collecting one or two shillings towards the cost of a war saving certificate.
When 16 shillings had been collected from each person, Kevin brought the certificate for them from the post office, for which seven years later, the government would pay one pound.
And his third job was as an assistant at the local theatre.
The theatre, set up in the old shire hall, was run by Bill Schooling and Connie Maugham.
A World War 1 veteran, Charlie Croft, was the doorman.
The films came down by ferry for satire day nights, or Bill Schooling collected them in his car, which ran on kerosene.
In the summertime, there were also screenings on Wednesdays and Fridays. Screenings started with a newsreel; then a travelogue was shown; another support film would be fitted in before interval, then another newsreel, a cartoon, and finally the feature film hit the screen.
Kevin was employed for three shillings a day, for a number of jobs.
He wound every foot of film back by hand after each showing; sometimes had to set up the hall; had to arrive at 7 pm to open the door and take the tickets, and then dash upstairs to play the records which doubled as background music.
At interval, he ran the slides of the coming attractions, and after the film was over, folded the seats back ready for the cleaner.
His pay did finally increase to four shillings a day.
