imported>Nedrutland: /* History */

2025-03-21T08:25:34Z

History

New page

{{Short description|Village in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea}}
'''Gona''' is a coastal village in [[Oro Province]], [[Papua New Guinea]].

==History==
Gona was the site of an [[Anglican Communion|Anglican]] church and mission.

During [[World War II]], [[Imperial Japanese]] troops invaded on 21–27 July 1942 and established it as a base. Three missionaries were captured at Gona; Father James Benson, [[Martyrs of New Guinea|May Hayman and Mavis Parkins]]. The two women and a six-year-old boy were beheaded on the beach. Father Benson was reported killed but taken prisoner and sent to [[Rabaul]]<ref>{{cite web| first=Alan | last=Ramsey | title =Last words from God's soldiers | publisher =Sydney Morning Herald| url =http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/last-words-from-gods-soldiers/2005/08/12/1123353499696.html| date =13 August 2005 | accessdate = 27 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Prisoner's Base and Home Again| publisher= Pacific Wrecks| url=http://www.pacificwrecks.com/reviews/prisoners-base.html#axzz4WvuRgXaH |accessdate = 27 January 2017}}</ref> where he remained until the end of the war in 1945.

The {{Ship||Ayatosan Maru|1939|2}} was sunk by [[United States Army Air Forces]] and [[Royal Australian Air Force]] bombers in shallow water off Gona on 21 July 1942. It later became known as ''the Gona wreck''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Milner |first1=Samuel |year=1957 |title=Victory in Paupa |series=United States Army In World War II |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Center Of Military History, United States Army |lccn=56060004 |page=62}}</ref>

Gona was recaptured by the [[Australian Army]] during the [[battle of Buna-Gona]] on 9 December 1942.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McCarthy |first=Dudley |title=South – West Pacific Area – First Year: Kokoda to Wau |series=Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army |volume=5 |year=1959 |edition=1st |publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070204/ |oclc=3134247|page=442 }}</ref>

==See also==

*[[Invasion of Buna–Gona]]

==References==
* [[William Manchester]], ''[[American Caesar]]'', 1978, Little Brown Company, 793 pages, {{ISBN|0-316-54498-1}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.pacificwrecks.com/provinces/png_gona.html Pacific War Wrecks]

{{coord|8|36|S|148|16|E|display=title|region:PG_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki}}

[[Category:Populated places in Oro Province]]

{{OroProvince-geo-stub}}

Gona, Papua New Guinea - Revision history

imported>Nedrutland: /* History */