The 'Moresby Microbes'

Padre Sands, the first RAAF chaplain in wartime Papua, worked hard to organise and furnish a Rec(reation) hut for the troops in Port Moresby. The men also found him a car, a 'canonised Austin', and they painted a stick figure with a halo on its door. As a further boost to troop morale the Padre formed a concert party, the 'Moresby Microbes'. Between May 1942 and April 1943, the 'Microbes' presented 50 weekly concerts.

A 'Moresby Microbes' album telling the story of the Padre, the concert party and their performances was given to one of their members, Leading Aircraftsman Frank Lansdowne. In the album are photographs of the men and their concerts with accompanying verse written by Padre Sands. It is now held in the Private Records Collection at the Australian War Memorial.


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DVA (Department of Veterans' Affairs) ( ), The 'Moresby Microbes', DVA Anzac Portal, accessed 25 November 2024, https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/world-war-ii-1939-1945/events/japanese-advance-december-1941-march-1942/defence-moresby/moresby-microbes
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