User:Brian Frederick Casserly

The bombing of Port Hedland on 30/07/1942 and 17/08/1942.We lived in the Flying Doctors Residence from May 1941-July 1944 and evacuated to Perth from Boodarie Station sometime after Darwin was bombed. We returned to Port Hedland in July 1942 when the Convent School opened. On the first raid at 0700 we were watching 9 Japanese Bombers flying over us when our windows started breaking.I ran dragging my 7 yr old brother to hide behind bushes. The Japanese were looking fo a secret American Air Base built below ground on Corunna Downs Station near Marble Bar and could not find it so delivered their bombs on our airstrip killing only 1 army guy.52 bombs ere successfully unloaded. My father Fred was the engine driver delivering bombs from the wharf to Mable Bar.The second raid at 8pm was on our townsite and we smartly hit the slit trench where I was buried alive and dug out by my mother who was up the other end with my siblings Barrie and Beverley.It was my brothers 8th birthday.