Darwin City Council welcomed some 800 people who travelled to the Top End to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first bombing raids on Darwin that took place in the early morning and at noon on 19 February 1942. During the four day program organised by Council, the main event, the Commemorative Service at the Darwin Cenotaph, attracted 3,500 people. This is the only Cenotaph in Australia to have come under enemy attack.
In welcoming visitors and local people to the service, Acting Lord Mayor of Darwin, Alderman Garry Lambert, said that the 60th anniversary of the bombing was an opportunity to pay homage to the men and women who served and civilians who survived the attacks.
“Later many civilians came back to help rebuild the city and restart their lives,” he said. “The citizens of Darwin and the people of Australia, thank you for your efforts.”
Commencing on Sunday 17 February, Darwin City Council organised tours of numerous World War II historic sites; a reunion reception in the wharf precinct, the site where many lost their lives on ships and at work on the wharf; and a service at the Adelaide River War Cemetery.
The first two air raids on Darwin on the morning of 19 February 1942 resulted in more than 243 deaths and hundreds of military and civilian casualties. Eight ships were sunk and a further 15 disabled. These were the most devastating of the 64 air raids on the Top End that lasted through to November 1943.
