[Mihalic] 1944 written pidgin

[Bryant Allen]

Last week I visited Bob Cole at Nerang, south of Brisbane. Bob was a Capt 
with ANGAU in the Maprik area 1944-45. Bob was later DC Southern Highlands, 
then Sepik and finally, reluctantly, Commissioner of Police.

He has kept written notes from 1944-45 from his 'sentries' (village men 
armed and paid to spy on the Japanese and send back information to the 
Australians). I copied one page of one note as an example of 1944 written 
pidgin. I have done my best to translate it. The original note was written 
in pencil, all in capitals with no punctuation. Thought you piginophiles 
might find it interesting.

Pasdim oli stoap long peles. Man palong em I kirap kisim ol pikinini I go 
insait long Japan Orait meri lukim ol pikinini go insait long ol orait ol I 
kam long wei mo inap long Sepik I go ontop long Maripe. I wokpus I go dakun 
ken long napis long Turupu kamap ken long Wewak I gat 4 masinkan I kat sam 
seapan I stop I kamap long Boikin I gat Japan I kam kamap long Takur I kat 
2 pela stula long Takur  sampala seapan I kam kamap long Matapau I kat 
sapan sampela I dai napaut long road I kam long Sawait oli koap long pus i 
painaim wanpala peles I kat palanti seapan long pus kalon Sawait


First everyone was in the villages. Then the men took the children and went 
to the Japanese. The women saw this and they went a long distance as far as 
it is to the Sepik. They went up to Maripe. Through the bush down to the 
beach, to Turupu and eventually to Wewak. They [the Japanese] have four 
machine guns. At Boiken there are Japanese. They have also come to Takur 
[Dagua]. There are two [stula?] at Dagua. They have come to Matapau also. 
Some Japanese are dead on the road. They have come to Sawait where they 
have gone into the bush looking for a village. There are many Japanese in 
the bush [at] Sawait.

Dr Bryant Allen
Senior Fellow
Land Management Group
Department of Human Geography
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Australian National University
ACT 0200 Australia

ANU CRICOS Provider Number is 00120C