Nameless Warriors: The Ben Moide Story

Lahui Ako
University of Papua New Guinea Press, Port Moresby, 2012
Hard cover, 246 pp, index, photos in colour and B & W
ISBN 9789980869579

The stated purpose of this book, according to the author, was to record publicly, for the people of Papua New Guinea, the “quality, sacrifice, suffering and courage” displayed by their countrymen during the Second World War. The author aimed to retell the War experiences – as the soldiers saw them – of Benjamin Steven Moide and some of his Papuan Infantry Battalion mates. The book offers a rare collection of War experiences in PNG from the indigenous soldier perspective. The bulk of the text came from interviews of Ben Moide recorded during 2008-2011 in Motu. Later, the interview transcripts were translated into English by the author’s father, a retired PNGDF Chaplain.
In his foreword to the book, former PNGDF Commander, Peter Ilau, notes that Ben Moide “tells the story as he saw it and remembered”. Given that 65 years had passed since Moide’s War experiences, some readers may doubt the accuracy of his memory, particularly those second-hand experiences conveyed to Moide by his PIB mates. On the other hand, readers who have been to war, or have read considerable military history, will understand that key war experiences are retained in the long-term memory and can usually be readily recalled. Some details recalled, however, may be faulty and, therefore, some details of some War incidents in this book may also be inaccurate (such as Ben’s claim to have used a Bren Gun in 1942 whereas the PIB were not issued with Bren Guns until 21 January 1943). Other War details may simply be inconsistent with European records. (European records proved inadequate in listing the names of six PIB soldiers killed during the Kokoda Campaign – those indigenous soldiers were also “nameless”.)
The author has consulted a number of sources on the battles in which the PIB participated, as listed in the book’s bibliography. I was surprised that the official Australian history by Dudley McCarthy was not shown there. The reader is provided with the wider context in which the PIB fought, even if that context interrupts the flow of the narrative. Readers learn directly about the Japanese commanders (chiefly from Paul Ham’s book) and, to a lesser extent, about the Japanese soldiers (chiefly from Moide’s recall). They also learn indirectly about the Australian officers and instructors. This latter aspect is important for readers, as Peter Ilau mentions in his foreword. Ilau notes that the text offers a “different observation” on the “unique” relationship which developed between indigenous soldiers and their Australian leaders, creating “probably the glue which keeps the two nations and their people together.”
Ben Moide was the chief source for the book which begins one year prior to Moide enlisting in the PIB – despite being only 16 and despite his mother’s wishes. Early chapters describe Moide’s Australian Army training and duties around Port Moresby, his promotions in spite of his low status in Papuan eyes, and his preparation to fight an unknown “enemy”. The middle chapters detail the early Kokoda Campaign beginning with the PIB on 23 July 1942; the fighting by Maroubra Force at Kokoda, Deniki and Isurava; and the PIB’s additional Army role of supervising the evacuation of wounded soldiers from Isurava. Later chapters cover Moide and PIB patrols in the then Northern District in early 1943, Moide on leave in his father’s village for his tribal initiation, and Moide on PIB operations at Finschhafen, Sattelberg and Scarlet Beach. Moide continued on PIB patrols in early 1944 around the Song River before the PIB was rested at their Bisiatabu headquarters and Moide’s role changed to that of instructing the new recruits needed to build up Battalion numbers.
The modest size of this book reflects the nature of Ben Moide. The book’s author disclosed at Ben’s funeral that Ben allowed him to publish only one quarter of his Wartime experiences. Ben had said, “Some things are better left unsaid, in respect of the dead, as well as to ensure that there is harmony in our future lives.”
The book’s final chapter deals with Moide’s discharge, dislocation and the disgruntlement felt by discharged PIB soldiers. Readers will empathise with the disillusion and dissatisfaction experienced by these former Australian Army soldiers who were abruptly discharged without sufficient Government support. Moide had to use his extended family and his military skills to survive in the new Hanuabada Village, to select a wife against tribal resistance, and to gradually find paid work. Ben and his wife Maba had seven children at their family home at Waigani. Over time, Moide exercised his leadership skills in the developing Rugby League organisation and in the PNG RSL. The government of PNG later awarded Moide several honours including the C.B.E. and the Distinguished Military Service Medal.
As Lahui Ako was completing his text for publication, his grandfather Ben Moide was already 86 years old, an advanced age for a PNG Veteran in a tough society. (Moide only lived about 18 months after this book’s publication.) The need to publish without delay probably caused a few technical issues within the text. The publisher did not pay sufficient attention to copy editing so there are some grammar and spelling problems. These, and several Kokoda Campaign errors, could easily be addressed if a second edition were published. Readers, other than the intended audience in PNG, would also have benefited from the inclusion of a map of the War-time Northern District where Moide patrolled. However, the publisher has included colour photos of Moide with his family and friends in 2012; these complement the book’s War-time photos of the PIB in black and white.
This is a Papuan introduction to brave, if generally unknown, warriors especially Ben Moide who earnt the respect of fellow Servicemen, of his family and of his society. While Ben’s name was not used by some of his War-time commanders, it became very well known in the PNG capital during his later years leading finally to a State Funeral. (The first edition of this book sold out but it may be available from public libraries.)

[An earlier version of this review appeared in Harim Tok Tok, February 2020.]
Gregory J. Ivey