Line of Fire

by Ian Townsend

The little known and intriguing WWII story of an eleven-year-old Australian schoolboy who was shot by the Japanese in Rabaul in 1942 as a suspected spy.

It's hard to imagine this story as being part of our past, but in 1942, an eleven-year-old Australian boy, Richard Manson, and his parents either side of him, were shot by the Japanese for suspected spying in Rabaul in Papua New Guinea.

Acclaimed 4th Estate author and award-winning science journalist Ian Townsend has uncovered a fascinating story of WWII, little known to most Australians. Centring on the hotspot (in every sense) that was Rabaul in WWII, his account is an intriguing narrative, which weaves together Australian history, military conflict and science - with volcanology being the peculiar science which drew the Americans, Japanese and Australians together in conflict in the Pacific in the 1940s - and the story of one ordinary but doomed Australian family.

Like The Hare with Amber Eyes, this is a fascinating work of narrative non-fiction, a story of spies, volcanoes, history, conflict and war, set against the romantic, dramatic and ultimately tragic backdrop of Rabaul in WWII.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, World War II, 20th Century, Australia

309 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2017

About the author

Ian Townsend is a journalist and radio documentary maker who worked for many years with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio national network. He has won numerous awards for journalism, including four national Eureka Prizes for science and medical journalism and an Australian Human Rights Award. His first novel, Affection, based on the 1900 outbreak of plague in Townsville, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book, the Colin Roderick Award, the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, the National Year of Reading, and was long-listed for the Dublin IMPAC award. His second novel, The Devil’s Eye, based on the 1899 Bathurst Bay cyclone, was long listed for the Miles Franklin Award. His latest book, Line of Fire, is non-fiction, combining family history with military history and geology to tell the story of the civilian and military disaster that befell Rabaul at the start of the Pacific War.

Reviews

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was recently sent a copy of Ian Townsend’s latest book; Line of Fire, which is a story of an incident that occurred during the early stages of WW2 on Rabaul. This incident is one that I am sure many Australians are not aware of but they should be. It involved the execution of an 11-year-old Australian boy at the hands of the Japanese.

Firstly, for those not familiar with Rabual, it’s a town in East New Britain province, on the island of New Britain, in the country of Papua New Guinea. New Britain is an island about 60 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea and for a period of time up to just before WW2 Rabaul was the capital of New Guinea.

Another item of note in regards to Rabaul is that it seems to be built on or next to numerous volcanoes and has suffered from a number erruptions, many of which have destroyed the town and killed inhabitants. In fact, beside the story of Richard ‘Dickie’ Manson, the 11-year-old boy, the book is also a story of the volcanoes of Rabaul and a massive caldera which formed an excellent deep water harbour of vital military importance during WW2.

This volcanic caldera at Rabaul attracted the notice of the Japanese Navy and in 1942 they sent a naval and army force to invade and occupy the island. However before the Japanese entry into WW2 the Australian government realised the importance of Rabaul to itself and the United States and sent the 2/22nd Infantry Battalion, known as ‘Lark Force’ and the 24 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force to defend Rabaul against any potential Japanese invasion.

Into the mix of volcanoes and the human misery of the Second World War the author has woven the story of young Dickie Manson, his mother Marjorie, and other family members. The author tells us of the life of Marjorie and her family back in Australia, her trial and tribulations that led her to Rabaul prior to WW2 and the life of her son, Richard, otherwise known as ‘Dickie’.

We follow these two people through their travels till we find them standing blindfolded, holding hands, at the edge of a freshly dug grave, facing a Japanese firing squad. How did this come to pass? What offence could an 11-year-old Australian boy be capable of committing to warrant execution by a military firing squad? The author tells us that story using all the available material from surviving family members and other sources.

The story has never been told in full before, even family members didn’t really know what had occurred on Rabaul during the war. Many believed that their relatives went down in the sinking of Montevideo Maru by a US submarine in mid 1942.

Due to the lack of physical evidence and gaps in the written archives the story has patches but the author covers these as best he can and provides details on Rabaul, volcanoes, the impact of the war and the final, known facts of Dickie and his mother, who’s graves have never been found.

This is an easy to read book, full of interestsing facts and details of this period and the authors attempts to find the full story. Ian Townsend must be credited for finally bringing this sad incident to the wider, general public. It’s a sad story that must be read, how an innocent young Australian boy ended up on Rabaul and died at the hands of the Japanese.

“It was a miserable scene and the parents had clasped hands with the boy between them” – statement taken from a Japanese witness to the execution after the war.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a fascinating account of the tragic demise of Australian citizens at the hands of the Japanese navy in World War II. Townsend begins his story with the firing squad execution of eleven year old Dickie Manson, his mother, mother’s partner, uncle and neighbour at the base of a volcano in Rabaul. He then reconstructs his narrative of what could have possibly brought them to this place and time and accusations of being spies. Through his narrative he weaves the life story of Dicky’s mother and family, recounting the social and class limitations on women through the history of early twentieth century Australia. He interviewed minor characters who lived in Papua New Guinea at the time to paint a picture of what life was like for Australian ex-pats in the idyllic tropical lifestyle prior to the Japanese invasion. Parallel to the family’s story is an account of the geological history of the island. Interviews with remaining family members are poignant as the family for decades were unaware of what had happened to their family members. Townsend truly manages to convey the hardship of the landscape of New Guinea and the horrors faced by the soldiers and citizens as they fled the invading Japanese. This is a terrific read for those interested in World War II history.

[Cass Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Line of Fire (Fourth Estate HarperCollins 2017) is an in-depth account of a fascinating World War Two story by former journalist Ian Townsend. Using not only his journalistic skills of research and reporting, but also his novelist’s flair, Ian presents a true tale of a ‘forgotten battle, a lost family, and an 11-year-old Australian boy shot as a spy’, set in tropical Rabaul in the midst of war. The author has attempted to collect the best evidence of what happened in this murky period of history, through extensive interviews with survivors and meticulous research of primary and secondary sources, including military accounts and media reports from the time. He has filled in the gaps with what could be most probably surmised. The result is a page-turning, compulsive read that proves the adage that truth is stranger than fiction.
The historical facts surrounding the circumstances of war, and also – inextricably – the geology of the volcanic setting of New Guinea, are carefully sourced, collated and presented. Anyone interested in the history of the Asia-Pacific region, or military history, or interested in the structure, stability and eruptions of volcanoes will find this book compelling. But even lay-people like myself, with no specific knowledge or special interest in those subjects, will be unable to look away from the very human element at the heart of this story.
Just how did one very ordinary family end up behind enemy lines in New Guinea in 1942? What led to the charge of espionage against them? And to the execution of 11-year-old Dickie Manson as a spy? Why was their story not uncovered at the time, and why did it remain forgotten for so many years afterwards? How has the fates of those five people echoed through the years and what shadow do they cast on those left behind?
Ian uncovers the details of the family, and places it within the context of the larger picture of the machinations of war. But he does more than that. He traces the history of each individual, from well before they relocated to New Guinea. He uncovers family secrets, illegitimacy, illicit affairs and bad business deals. He also discovers the strength of family ties and a mother’s love, the indomitable optimism and spirit of those beaten down by conflict and the Great Depression, a grandmother’s grim determination, and descendants of today who still find it difficult to speak about these horrific events. Some of the most touching moments of the book are when Ian meets with Dickie Manson’s uncle, now in his nineties, as he remembers his sister Marjorie, his brother Jimmy, his nephew Dickie, and the almost surreal chain of events that led to their deaths. The inclusion of family photos adds to the book’s intimacy. And the author’s understated sense of humour yields some real gems in imagined dialogue and posited motivations.
I so admire writers who can gather together the disparate threads of a real-life story and weave them together into a narrative that is not only factually correct but also contains as much tension and suspense as a good novel. Ian achieves this and more – he includes the scientific aspects of the volcanology that scaffolds this entire saga. All of this is made not only comprehensible but interesting. The tragic tale of one lost Australian family, set amidst the horrors of war and the capriciousness of mother nature, makes for a powerful and intriguing story that will reverberate in your mind long after the last page. This is not a genre which I read habitually, and yet I couldn’t put this book down.

[Toni Kely-Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of a sad incident, involving the execution of 5 people, including an 11 year old boy, his uncle and his mother in 1942 in Rabaul for being spies by the Japanese.

The descriptions of Rabaul and the history of its volcanoes were fascinating as I could picture them clearly in my head as I visited Rabaul in 2014 and had photos with my family in the black ash at the base of the volcanoes and visited the observatory, etc. What I didn't know about was how the Japanese saw Rabaul as a strategic base during WW2 and invaded and occupied the island in 1942.

As a journalist Ian Townsend has done a lot of research and initially describes the back story of the young boy "Dickie" and his family and what lead them to living in Rabaul in 1942 from Adelaide. I never knew of this story or of Australia's history in Rabaul so am very glad the author wrote this story.

My only "issue" was when Ian Townsend tried to include "conversations" or how the family were thinking/feeling. I know it was due to gaps in evidence and based on probabilities, but I felt the facts alone were enough for it be a compelling highly readable story, without feeling the need to "humanise" them with this device.

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction book about a forgotten place and incident in Australian World War II history. It is set in Rabaul, a town in New Guinea built on a ring of volcanoes. After numerous eruptions over time, the town was mainly abandoned in 1994. But during the 1920s and 30s, it was home to an ex-pat community of predominantly Australians.
The book is about a group of people, including a mother and her 11 year old son, who became embroiled in the Japanese invasion of Rabaul and were subsequently executed as spies in 1942.
While it is important to hear about these incidents, and there are many, many more that will never be discovered, the author had very little to go on and has had to piece together a story from little pieces. It is thus very patchy and slow reading. The author has also placed a lot of his focus on the volcanic history of the region, which while interesting, is not really what I was expecting when picking up this book.
Overall, an interesting and tragic read about a family that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I totally agree with the author's comment in the introduction:

"To understand the big stories of war and disaster, we do need to care about the small stories of ordinary people."

These stories do, after all, add up to the sum total of human existence.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Townsend weaves two fascinating narratives into this compelling account; firstly, an historic and scientific account of the volcanology of Rabaul, the original capital of German colony of New Guinea and after WWI, of Papua New Guinea, the Australian protectorate, with the book's title referring to the "Ring of Fire" the belt of tectonic instability manifesting in volcanic activity and earthquakes around the Pacific Ocean; secondly, the military expression "line of fire" meaning literally being shot at, which refers to the victims of Japanese firing squads which put to death a number of Australian soldiers and civilians. The two narrative paths coalesce in the extraordinarily vivid depiction of an execution at the foot of the most active volcano, Tavuvur, dominating the Rabaul skyline in what was, before the war, known as the most beautiful town and harbour in the South Pacific.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Line of Fire' is an extraordinary story of the execution of an Australian family by the Japanese in WWII New Guinea. And like much of our Australian history involving women, and like other stories has been swept under the historical carpet.

I can't remember learning much about New Guinea at school, certainly nothing of Rabaul, the Japanese, or WWII, and I thank you Ian Townsend for enlightening me.

For this was not just the history that culminated in unfortunate circumstances, but it was the geology of Rabaul that added to the climatic events of the story, and incredibly sad outcomes for the Manson family. The Australian Government has a lot to answer for, both before and after the events took place. I encourage everyone to read 'Line of Fire'.

[John B. MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

History is one of my interests. This book is about events leading up to and into the Japanese occupation of Rabaul, New Britain—a little-known arena of World War Two in the Pacific. My interest is linked to my father’s cousin, who was captured near Rabaul by the Japanese during the same period and died in the sinking of the prison ship, Montevideo Maru, July 1, 1942.

'Line of Fire' traces the life of a mother and her eleven-year-old Australian boy, Dickie Manson, who was shot as a spy by the Japanese, without a trial, and without mercy.

Reading this story gave me a sense of life in Rabaul and its environs before and during the Japanese occupation. It also reinforced in me an aversion to war and its atrocities.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

How was an 11 year old boy executed as a spy during the Second World War? This is the question investigative journalist Ian Townsend attempts to answer in this book.

The book is well researched. Townsend reconstructed records (most being destroyed) and personal accounts to tell a tale of how this event could happen. It is a sad story where I found myself shaking my head at the poor decisions that led to this tragedy.

I didn't enjoy the start of the book as much as the end. I thought there was too much scene setting around the volcanos. The part about the invasion and the actions that led to the execution.

It is a good but sometimes shocking read.

[Laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The overview of this promised a compelling story, but it didn't feel adequately fleshed out. There were long sections (especially those about the volcanoes and vulcanologists around Rabaul) which read as blatant padding. This, coupled with the stilted fantasised conversations and thoughts of those involved, actually (for me) detracted from the pathos of this story.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the story itself is similar to many others, I found this recounting of the experiences at Rabaul much easier to read compared to many other books on the similar topic.

I was hoping for a happier ending :(

[Jason Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic story but one that needed to be told. I really enjoy Ian’s style of writing and his drive to get to the truth, or as close as practically possible! Absolutely recommend to any military historian or lover of military stories especially if you are an Aussie!

[Mike Taverner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really important historic literature

[Jules Begg · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insight into life for the ordinary person during that time.

[Fiona R · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Thomas Reads books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally written telling of the little known PNG-Australian chapter of WW2.

This is a must read for all Australians.