hushed thousands of men

Chapter 9 – The Floods and the Cease Fire

By the first week in August the rains in southern Bougainville had put a stop to large-scale operations for over a month. News of the dropping of an atomic bomb in Japan convinced the troops that the end of the war was near. On the 9th came news of the dropping of a second atomic bomb and the invasion of Manchuria by the Russians. On the 11th the forward battalions were ordered to withdraw all long-range and fighting patrols forthwith, but to remain on the alert. On the 16th they learnt that fighting was to have ceased the previous day. But when would all the isolated parties of Japanese know what had happened? An Australia n patrol searching for the body of a man killed on patrol some days before met a group of Japanese who seemed to have learnt the news: "Neither party knew whether to advance or make off. After observing one another our party returned to company area." 7

7 The troops at Torokina knew of the surrender on the 15th. That day Gracie Fields, the English singer, had arrived at Torokina. In her autobiography Sing As We Go (1960), pp. 151-2, she writes:
The General who had showed me the jungle clearing where I was to sing that evening cam e up white-faced with a sort of dazed excitement. "
'I want you to come with me now,' he said. It was midday. "He took me to the huge clearing. Already it was packed with troops. With all the top brass I stood facing them. The boys must have wondered about the small odd-looking creature I looked, all muffled up in creased khaki.
"The General stepped forward.
"`Men, at last I can tell you the only thing you want to know. The Japs have surrendered.' In the second's silence of wonderment and before the cheering could start, he held up his hand. `I have England's Gracie Fields here. I am going to ask her to sing the Lord's Prayer.'
"He led me to a small wooden box. I got on to it. There was a movement as of a great sea — every man had taken off his cap. "The matted green of the tall dark jungle surrounded us, but above our clearing the noon sun seared down from the brilliant sky on to...bare bowed heads.
"I started to sing. `Our Father which art in Heaven. . ‘Because of my cold I had to sing in a low key, but there was no sound except my voice. The hushed thousands of men in front of me seemed even to have stopped breathing. Each note and word of the prayer carried across the utter stillness of the rows of bent heads till it was lost in the jungle behind them.
"It was the most privileged and cherished moment of my life.
"I treasure the letters from the many soldiers who have written to me since, telling me it was their most wonderful moment too.”