Cox, Everard John

Original diary kept by VX104228 Lieutenant (Lt) Everard John Cox. Lt Cox started his diary on 21 August 1945 when he was advised he would be sent to Morotai as part of D Coy, 1 Australian Reinforcement Infantry Battalion, which was soon renamed 63 Australian Infantry Battalion, as part of 33 Brigade. The diary has regular entries describing his work 'rounding up' Japanese soldiers known to have committed atrocities, to disarm the Japanese of their remaining ammunition and weapons and discard of these in the sea, and to locate allied prisoners of war. On 1 October 1945, he embarked aboard HMAS Westrailia to arrive on Ambon on 5 October where he received the orders of Brigadier Steele for 'firm but courteous treatment of Jap marines'. Lt Cox details accounts of the treatment of the local native people, who were under the authority of the Netherlands Indies Civil Affairs (NICA), by the Japanese soldiers. Lt Cox moved to A Coy on 1 November 1945 and together with two other soldiers from 63 Battalion and a native interpreter, sailed north of Ambon, and arrested two Japanese soldiers caught raiding native gardens before returning them to the 63 Battalion HQ compound. Lt Cox departed from Laha, Ambon on Christmas Day 1945, bound for Darwin before being reunited with his family in Sydney on 31 December 1945.

• Wallet 1 of 1 - Cox, Everard John