Robert Stevenson - Australias First Campaign: The Capture of German New Guinea, 1914

Many individuals have contributed to this publication. Researching Australias First Campaign took me across Australia and north to the islands that were once part of the German Empire. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), Mr Munden Bray from the Rabaul Historical Society kindly showed me through the societys museum and provided local knowledge on East New Britain. Melinda Sutherland and Greg Belford extended their special brand of hospitality in Port Moresby on the transit back from New Britain.

In Australia, the staffs of the Australian War Memorial (AWM), the National Archives of Australia (NAA) and the state libraries of New South Wales and Queensland were invariably friendly and helpful. Mr Kel Pearce, formerly of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, provided background information on the Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery. Mr John Perryman, Director Strategic and Historical Studies at the Sea Power Centre Australia (SPC-A), facilitated my access to the centres holdings and authorised the use of many of the photographic images reproduced in this volume. Mr Chris Dale granted permission to use the Klewitz family photograph of Lieutenant Carl Klewitz, which appears on his German colonial uniforms website. The University of Newcastle provided Thomas Rodonis photograph from its Rodoni Archive, which appears on the front cover of this volume. Dr Rhys Crawley generously shared the fruits of his research in the Admiralty records at The National Archives in London. Mr John Land, curator of the Australian Army Infantry Museum (AAIM) at Singleton, assisted with the identification of the British and German small arms and provided photographs of those weapons. My fellow history tragics, Ian Finlayson and Ric Pelvin, read the manuscript and saved me from a number of errors, as well as providing additional insights. All remaining faults and errors however, are mine.

As the first among equals, I owe the greatest debt to the Australian Army History Unit (AAHU). The AAHU supported the project through the Army Research Grants Scheme, providing me with the opportunity to travel to New Britain and conduct field research in 2016. My gratitude also extends to the AAHUs team of experts who have added so much to the finished product: Captain Anne Giles and Ms Sophie Jerapetritis for the project direction, Nick Anderson for the handy advice for a first-time campaigner, Corporal Kyla Morris for the maps, Cathy McCullagh for her editing and Denny Neave and the talented Big Sky Publishing team for the typesetting and book design. Finally, I owe much gratitude to my wife Rose for giving up her annual leave to accompany me to PNG, where she stomped through more muddy jungle and later provided her professional insights when proofreading the manuscript. I am grateful for the opportunity to tell the important story of the Australian militarys first campaign and to contribute to the Australian Army Campaign Series.