Valley Veterans: Nambucca's Noel Crocker remembers back to Darwin bombings

By Mick Birtles, Dsc
Updated August 21 2018 - 11:36am, first published June 26 2018 - 1:30pm

Seventy-six years ago, on February 19, 1942, 21-year-old Noel Crocker was an infantry soldier with the 19th Battalion, Australian Imperial Forces. The 19th Battalion’s role was to defend Darwin. On this day Noel was on guard duty at Darwin’s fuel storage and wharf facility. The day was proceeding as normal until the mid-morning air was broken by the drone of aircraft. Noel and his mates looked skyward to see some of the 188 Japanese aircraft that attacked Darwin that day. Noel could clearly see the rising sun emblem on the wings of the attackers.

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