The Kokoda Trail
OFFICIAL NAME
The origin of the official name dates back to 1947 when an Australian Battles Nomenclature Committee was established to define the battles in the Pacific. Their final report in 1958 adopted ‘Kokoda Trail’ as the official Commonwealth battle honour which was awarded to 10 infantry battalions and the Pacific Island Regiment. During their investigations they discovered that all the Australian Survey Corps Maps being printed in late 1942-43 named it the ‘Kokoda Trail’ and that in 1932 the wife of a planter on the Sogeri Plateau had written a book about the mountain trail and she named the book ‘The Kokoda Trail’.
''Kokoda Trail' was gazetted by the Chief Minister of Papua New Guinea, Michael Somare (who was sworn into office on 23 June 1972), on 12 October 1972 (PNG Government Gazette No. 88 of 12 October 1972, page 1362, column 2. Notice 1972/28 of the PNG Place Names Committee refers).
The official title, ‘Kokoda Trail’ is recognised by:
1. The National Government of Papua New Guinea (an independent sovereign nation);
2. The RSL of Australia (the national representative body for ex-servicemen and women);
3. The Australian War Memorial (the custodian of our military heritage); and
4. The official Battle Honours of all 10 Australian units who fought in the Kokoda campaign as well as the PNG Pacific Islands .
THE DEBATE: 'Track' Vs 'Trail'
Whilst some veterans have used the term ‘Kokoda Track’ since the war it became an issue of intense debate after former Prime Minister Paul Keating kissed the ground at Kokoda on the 5oth anniversary of the campaign in April 1992. This was accompanied by much ‘talkback’ noise about ‘trail’ being an American term and ‘track’ being the language of the Australian bush. This suited Keating’s agenda for an Australian republic at the time.
It also suited those in the Australian commentariat who harboured a strong anti-American bias. They have ensured that ‘Kokoda Track’ has emerged as the more politically correct term.
Wartime photographs at McDonalds Corner show a sign pointing towards the Kokoda Trail (photographs on page 286 of the history of the 2/3rd Infantry Battalion titled ‘War Dance’ by Ken Clift and page 28 of ‘Sogeri During the War' by Lance Taylor refer).
FACTORS
The following factors have been ignored by the Australian commentariat in adopting 'Kokoda Track' as the politically correct name:
1. Our wartime military leaders examined the issue in great detail from 1947 and determined that the official battle honour would be designated “Kokoda Trail’;
2. Australian administrators in the PNG Government in 1972 established a ‘Place Names Committee’ to examine the issue and recommended the official name be proclaimed ‘Kokoda Trail’. The PNG administration under Chief Minister Michael Somare accepted their recommendation and the name was officially gazetted by the PNG Government.
3. A recent motion to have the National RSL lobby the Australian Government to have the Kokoda Trail renamed as the ‘Kokoda Track’ was defeated at the RSL National Congress held in Dubbo on 14-15 September 2010 (National Congress Resolution 6.1.2 refers).
4. The Australian War Memorial adopted the name “Kokoda Trail’ for its Second World War galleries because of the official battle honours awarded in that name.
These facts are now being conveniently ignored by patronising Australian Government officials.
The author of the most definitive history of the Kokoda Trail (Stuart Hawthorne, The Kokoda Trail – A History’ Central Queensland University Press, 2003) recently wrote on the Australian War Memorial blog:
‘Exploration and development of the early parts of the overland route near Port Moresby began about 130 years ago. In this light, the campaign constitutes a very small part of the track’s history (about a third of one percent) yet the importance ascribed to the WW2 period often assumes a considerably high significance. Of course the Kokoda campaign is very important in Australia on many levels but notwithstanding this, I often wonder whether the presumption that our Australian perspective displaces all others and borders on the arrogant’.
Major-General Paul Cullen who commanded a Battalion during the Kokoda campaign wrote:
'The winding path between Koitaki in the south and Buna, Gona in the north passes through many villages and camps on its tortuous way across the spine of the Owen Stanley Range and at its highest point reaches 7,000 feet at Templeton’s Crossing all in the shadow of Mr Victoria at 14,000 feet. All through thick rainforest and impenetrable jungle.
'Prior to WW11 according to tales told by the ‘the old hands’ miners, planters et al, all paths, tracks etc were called by the direction one was going, eg. Moresby Road, Buna Road, Kokoda Road.
'During the campaigns of 1942-43 Milne Bay, Owen Stanleys, Wau, Salamaua, the War Correspondents were camped at the 7 Mile Airstrip and had to send their censored reports to Australia by cable. This entailed describing the battles along the way as huge enemy losses at Imita-Efogi-Myola. As there was no morse sign for the word ‘hyphen’ the word had to be signalled letter by letter in mores code making the account payable by the sender twice as high. One enterprising journalist. Geoff Reading was a keen fan of the tales of Tales of the Klondike by Jack London and others began using the word ‘Trail’ to refer to where the fighting was taking placed, eg. ‘on the Kokoda Trail near the village of Efogi’ or whatever. Our troops overcame stiff opposition etc. The editors back in Australia loved it and soon it became known as ‘The Kokoda Trail’. Soldiers actually still fighting in New Guinea were receiving letters from home containing love and kisses and ‘ we hope you are not on that terrible Kokoda Trail’. Anyone wanting to confirm this has only to go to the Mitchell Library and see copies of newspapers of that period. Meanwhile those who were still there on the ‘Trail’ especially the walking wounded were told to take the Moresby Road.
'At War’s end when Battle Honours were being handed out, or should I say bestowed, those units which had been involved in the Owen Stanley Campaign were all awarded Kokoda Trail; except the 39th Battalion who insisted having one word ‘Kokoda’ as they were the only unit which fought there. There were no objections at that time and none since although these last few years some people are saying that ‘Trail’ is an American word.'
REFERENCES
The official history of the 2/14th Battalion (Halstead Press, 1948) refers to the track as the ‘Kokoda Trail’.
Other wartime publications which refer to the track as the ‘Kokoda Trail’ include:
. Retreat From Kokoda – The Australian Campaign in New Guinea, 1942 by Raymond Paul (Heinemann, 1958, ISBN 0 85561 0492) – published in 1958;
. Khaki and Green (Halstead Press) published by The Australian War Memorial for the Austraian Military Forces in 1943
. Green Armour by Osmar White (Angus & Robertson – ISBN 0 04014706) pubished in 1945; and
. The Kokoda Trail – A History by Stuart Hawthorne (Central Queensland University Press, ISBN 876780 30 4) published in 2003.
Major General Kingsley Norris, the Medical Director of the 7th Division at the time had traversed it more than anyone else, setting up rest and dressing stations for the wounded, wrote of it, ‘Time, rain and the jungle growth will eventually obliterate this native pad; but forever more will live the memory of weary men who have passed this way and ghosts of glorious men who have gone, gone far beyond the Kokoda Trail’. General Norris’ description of the ‘native pad’ is worth reading in the pages of ‘Retreat from Kokoda’ by Raymond Paul, Chapter 6.
The official name is reflected in the 39th Infantry Battalion Regimental Colours below:
The following signs were placed on the Kokoda Trail by the PNG Government - some of them prior to the 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in 1992
KOKODA TRAIL SIGN AT OWERS CORNER: 1991
KOKODA TRAIL SIGN ON HUT AT ALOLA VILLAGE 1991
KOKODA TRAIL SIGN AT KOKODA: 1992
KOKODA TRAIL SIGN AT OWERS CORNER 2002
There are no known photographs of 'Kokoda Track' signs from WW2 - however the sign at McDonald’s Corner tas been repainted to read ‘Kokoda Track’ since Keating’s visit in 1992.
If the commentariat, disgruntled 'historians' or self-appointed custodians of 'political correctness' feel strongly about a change of name they should make a submission to the National Government of Papua New Guinea in accordance with the protocols that apply under their sovereign rules and regulations.
Until then the Australian government and its agencies should respect the official name contained in the PNG statute books - and the Battle Honours of the 10 infantry battalions who fought in the campaign - i.e. THE KOKDOA TRAIL'.