Bomb-damaged Australian flag from the Administrator's Residence, Darwin, 1942

This flag was flying at Government House in Darwin on the morning of 19 February 1942, when Japanese aircraft bombed the city and harbour. It was the first, the largest, and the most destructive attack made by the enemy on the Australian mainland.

Early 1942 was Australia’s darkest hour. Australian territory overseas had been occupied by the Japanese, and there were fears of mainland attacks. In the early morning of 19 February 188 Japanese aircraft took off from four aircraft carriers in the Timor Sea and headed towards Darwin, arriving shortly before 10 am. The harbour, town, and surrounding airfield were bombed and strafed for some 30 minutes. A later raid by 54 bombers from Ambon hit Darwin just before midday. Among the many ships to suffer extensive damage was the American destroyer USS Peary, which sank with the loss of 80 lives, and the Australian hospital ship Manunda, which was repeatedly bombed and machine-gunned. Eight ships, including Peary, were sunk. Fifteen bombs were dropped on the city, completely demolishing the Administrator’s office, the police barracks, and the attached police station and government offices. In all, some 250 people were killed.

Hearing the air raid siren, the Administrator of the Northern Territory, Charles Abbott, his family, and staff sought shelter in a room beneath the building. The flag, torn by strafing during the raid, was the first on mainland Australian soil to have been damaged by enemy action, and so Abbott arranged for it to be presented to the Memorial.