Hawnt, Edmund Martin

Born: 1880 – Werrington, United Kingdom
Died: 1st July, 1942 – Montevideo Maru. Age 62.
Occupation – 1942: Telephone Engineer

Edmund Hawnt’s Story

EDMUND MARTIN HAWNT.. the only brother to 7 sisters & consequently learned culinary details e.g. which sauce went with what vegetable, or fish.
Born in WERRINGTON, UK. 1880.

Came to Australia as a qualified young apprentice in Mechanics.
Married Jessie Anderson, Sydney, NSW. Australia.
They had 3 children: Edmund Anderson Hawnt born 23/12/1910 ; Marjorie Hawnt born 23/12/1912 ; Jean Hawnt born 1915 ?

E M HAWNT enlisted into the Australian Occupation Force after Australia was awarded the Mandate of German Niewe Guinea, landing at Kurukakal, North Coast of New Britain.

He was familiar with the Queensland Telephone system set up; years later when the Aust. Occupation troops were sent back to Australia, he transferred to the Civil Administration remaining in Rabaul, TNG as head of the Telephone & Posts Department. The family lived initially at one end of the Post Office building.

This is his photo with the Telephone Dept. Staff, Rabaul, TNG [date not known]. He trained the female German mixed race switchboard operators in their duties, whilst overseeing the technicians.

After the WW2 had ended it was discovered that five members of the PMG Dept. were listed as being aboard the “Montevideo Maru” : their names are Duus W L, Hawnt E M, Plunkett T M, Turnbull H M & Walsh T R.
They were seized by the invading Jap navy/army when they crept into Simpson’s Harbour in the dark, very early hours of the 23rd January, 1942.
On the 22nd June they and another 1,030 POW encamped at Malaguna Road prison camp, were marched aboard this Japanese ship and sailed off, enroute to the Japanese coal mines.
Near Subic Bay, Phillipines, an American Submarine “Sturgeon” torpedoed the MM; she sank without any POW surviving to tell the tale.
But many old timers doubt this is a true account.

At present there are 2 Commemoratives honouring the names of these men aboard the MM, but E M Hawnt isn’t listed as being on the MM in the Australian POW Memorial Park in Ballarat, Victoria. Just last year 2009 the Subic Bay Hellships Memorial was jointly dedicated by the Australian Ambassador & Andrea, the Grand daughter of the then BP’S Manager Philip Coote.

“Known only unto God.”

Photograph and Story provided by Janet Dykgraaff (Granddaughter)

Hawnt, Edmund