Padre Stan Claughton - Chaplain with the 2/2 Pioneers

My grandfather, Rev Stanley George Claughton, served as an Army Chaplain in the Second World War. Stan was born in Petersham, Sydney, New South Wales, in 1905. He studied at Leigh Methodist Theological College in Sydney and took up his first posting as a Methodist Minister in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales in 1927. By the time the war started in 1939, Stan was married with a son and two daughters and was stationed at the Tempe Park circuit in inner-city Sydney. It is clear from reading his many letters and diaries that he had a very strong sense of duty to his country. He volunteered for service on the first day of conflict, was commissioned as a 4th Class Chaplain in February 1942, and was mobilised on the 12th of May 1942. In 1942, Stan was 37, and his children were aged 9, 4, and 1. I simply can't imagine having to make the decision to leave my wife and three young children for possibly years and put myself in the face of danger. In one letter to his son (my father), he wrote: "If you have two options, it is usually the hardest path that is the right one." My grandfather definitely took the harder path.

His first posting out of Sydney was to the 119 AGH (Australian General Hospital), Adelaide River, Northern Territory.

A few days after the first Japanese air raid on 19 February 1942, the Army took over Darwin Hospital and closed the Bagot hospital compound. Following the raid, the hospital was moved to Adelaide River, 113 km south of Darwin, to service units in the Northern Territory. To help service the 107th and 119th Australian General Hospitals, rail sidings were built at the Adelaide River station to serve ambulance or "hospital" trains that brought wounded personnel to them. The town also had a nearby operational airfield and a War Cemetery. Padre Claughton served at a rather primitive (by today's standards) tent hospital from July 1942 to April 1943. (I have included a couple of photos from this time). On the 23rd of January 1943, Stan received word that his brother-in-law, John Gollan, had been wounded in action in the Buna region of New Guinea and died on the 12th of January 1943 from complications of his wounds. Stan's diary entry from Adelaide River read: "It has been this day one of the saddest in my experience......I salute this day a brave man, John Gollan. No glamour about this war."

It is difficult to comprehend how his wife (and my grandmother) Jean Claughton (nee Gollan) must have felt. She had just lost her only brother while her husband was in Adelaide River in a region subject to Japanese air raids, with the possibility he would be sent to New Guinea, where her brother had been killed. Alone in Sydney with three young children, any support from her parents and sister was a great distance away in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.

On the 26th of April 1943, Padre Claughton was transferred to the 2/2 Australian Pioneer Battalion. It was his time with this battalion that would have a lasting impact on him. In mid-1943, the 2/2nd Pioneers were deployed to New Guinea undertaking both traditional infantry and engineering tasks. Assigned to the 7th Division, they saw combat in the Markham-Ramu Valley, advancing overland from Tsili Tsili, and constructing an airfield after the landing at Nadzab. They were then re-roled as infantry and joined the drive on Lae alongside Australian and US forces (Australian War Memorial). He embarked on the troop carrier "Duntroon" from Townsville on the 25th of July 1943 and disembarked at Port Moresby, New Guinea, on the 28th of July 1943. The battalion was driven to camp in Seven Mile Valley to begin training in the preparation of unit equipment and stores for movement in trackless country, defence of an airstrip, a long and difficult route march, and improvised river crossings. The Laloki River near 17 Mile was used for training. Diarrhoea swept through the Battalion while at Rouna Falls (2/2 Pioneer Battalion Association). The march from Tsili Tsili to Kirklands near Nadzab. The trek encountered many miles of jungle swamp, river crossings, and tall grass, with troops carrying 60 to 80 lbs. The 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Association timeline for the 3rd of September notes the trek included a very steep climb of 1200 feet, then a nine-inch-deep swamp and another climb to Kunai Patch. Foul-smelling jungle mud replaced by the stifling heat of kunai grass. No medical evacuations were possible. The story is best told in Padre Claughton's own words in the attached recollection published in the Pioneer News, April 1970.

During his time in Adelaide River and New Guinea, Stan wrote numerous letters to his wife and children, many with wonderful illustrations. Luckily, several of these letters and illustrations have survived (see attached). His letters and war diary reveal the two different realities he was facing: dealing with the immediate dangers of war and providing spiritual and general support to the troops, whilst trying to be a loving husband and father from remote locations with limited communication.

An extract from Stan's diary entry on the 7th of November 1943: "I was downhearted when I learned of our move again - incessant marches make me very fatigued - no sign of transfer - I often wonder if there is anything in determinism - I often try to alter my plans but somehow no matter what I do, these plans fail - I wonder why? I seemed to have lived many months in this foxhole existence - dirty - wet - lonely- but so are all the others - some are very keen to fight. The Jap must be contacted to be defeated, but war is loathsome. I hope my son and his generation escape its horror - gunfire in our own lines midday - Zeros overhead as I write this ..... Looked at my photo of Jean & kids." 8th of November 1943: "Commenced trek 08.30......- second hour - walked in mud well over knees - soft soupy stinking mud.....- camp side mountain - mud- mud - mud_...." In contrast, Stan was sending sweet, funny letters to his children. To his wife Jean, he was a bit more open. In one letter, he wrote: "The Japs are just the second enemy, our first enemy is disease." He was 38 years old when making these treks, presumably much older than many of the troops, and as chaplain, he had to endure the same physical and mental hardships as the troops and face the same threat from the Japanese and rampant disease.

On the 23rd of November 1943, Padre Claughton was transferred to Port Moresby and served there until the 23rd of August 1944. The Chaplain replacing Padre Claughton with the 2/2 Pioneers wrote: "I have been talking to some of the 2/2 Pioneers at the 2/11th hospital.

They are extremely sorry to hear that you are leaving their unit. You appear to have done a great job up there and to have gained their affections to a remarkable extent. It makes me nervous... I am hoping the blighters won't take it out on my hide for replacing you. You know how men's loyalty affects them." After returning home, he served at several army camp locations in New South Wales, including Liverpool and Greta. He was discharged from full-time service in 1946 but continued to serve as a Chaplain. He was Senior Chaplain (Methodist) Eastern Command Victoria Barracks from November 1957 until his retirement from the services on the 1st of August 1963.

One of the souvenirs my grandfather brought home with him was a few notes of Japanese currency printed for use in their occupied countries such as Malaya and in preparation for occupation in Oceania (Image scans attached).

There is a file attached which is an extract from the Pioneer Battalion News July 1964, which details how much Padre Claughton was admired by the troops and the contribution he made to the morale of the men serving on the front line. It fills me with great admiration and pride. He was a wonderful grandfather.

David Claughton
4 April 2024