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30 ISSUE 61 // June 2015
If you have any connection with the
Commonwealth Bank take care about
using the word diamonds. It used to be
a touchy subject within the bank – and
possibly still is.
The word comes from adamant,
which is still used as a substitute for
unbreakable. It comes into English via
Latin and old French diamante. The first
use in writing that I found came in 1310,
when it was spelt diamaunde.
I was in the Broome museum a
few years ago and I came across an
interesting story from Mervyn Prime
about the bank and diamonds.
During wartime Captain Takeo
Shibata from Japan invented long-range
fuel tanks and decided to attack the
airstrip at Broome to take out land-based
military aircraft, which reconnaissance
aircraft crew reported were on the
airstrip.
But as the Zero aircraft – not bombers
– arrived early in the March morning of
1942 they discovered many flying boats
in Roebuck Bay and decided to attack
them instead. Figures vary, but at least
50 people, mostly Dutch, were killed
on the flying boats, which were being
refuelled on the way from Java to Perth.
Some drowned and reports said some
were attacked by sharks.
Several Japanese airmen killed at
this time were then promoted a rank– but
I understand no Broome people were
killed in the raid. The Prime Minister,
John Curtin, said rumours of a heavy loss
of life by Broome people were “utterly
untrue”. Another raid soon after took
place on the airstrip and one person on
the ground -- a Malay walking across
the strip – was killed. The attack leader,
Zenziro Miyano, was killed in 1943 and
was promoted two ranks – not a nice
way to be promoted. But back to the
diamonds!
At Java, Captain Ivan Smirnoff was
handed a small package, which was
to be collected from him in Perth. I
understand he did not know what was
in the package. He was told the Broome
airstrip was “okay for the time being”,
with no mention of the attack on Roebuck
Bay. His plane was shot down in Carnot
Bay, just north of Broome. Smirnoff was
flown to Perth where an official of the
Commonwealth Bank asked him for
the package. He didn’t have it -- and
you can insert your own (