66th Anniversary of the Battle of Milne BayPrint Page

The Corporal John French VC Memorial Bridge over Downfall Creek commemorates the 66th anniversary of the Battle of Milne Bay.  The bridge is named after Corporal John Alexander French who was awarded his Victoria Cross posthumously for his actions in the Battle of Milne Bay on 4 September 1942. 

The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), also known as Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War Two. Japanese naval troops, known as Kaigun Rikusentai (Special Naval Landing Forces), attacked the Allied airfields at Milne Bay that had been established on the eastern tip of New Guinea.

Due to poor intelligence work, the Japanese miscalculated the size of the predominantly Australian garrison and, believing that the airfields were only defended by two or three companies, initially landed a force roughly equivalent in size to one battalion on 25 August 1942. The Allies, forewarned by intelligence from Ultra, had heavily reinforced the garrison.

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