THE anniversary of the Battle of the Bismarck Sea was last week, and a Pitt Town family has uncovered historic photos taken during the battle.
John Ryan was a recon pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force during the war, and took images of the battle.
The battle last for three days between the Imperial Japanese navy and pilots from both the Royal Australian Air Force and United States Air Force.
The location was off the coast of New Guinea in 1943, lasting from march 2 to 4, with the Allied forces winning the battle and sinking a number of ships in the Japanese naval convoy.
Pitt Town’s Peter Ryan brought the photos in to the Gazette, after uncovering them.
His father , who died about 12 months ago, was intensely private about his time during the war according to Peter.
Indeed, he was so private that Peter was unsure whether he should release the photos, however, he said after discussion with his wider family they decided to do it.
Given it was the 75th anniversary of the battle, the family felt that the work of John should be revealed.
Peter said his father left for war at the outset of war, like many men and even a few women, and returned at the end.
Peter said his family felt it was fitting to release the photos, kept private for many years, to honour the remarkable work that John and the many other combatants in the war performed.
The photos the family have involve the battle, but there are other photos as well. Some were taken while lying on the bottom of a recon aircraft, while others were taken on the ground.
