LUNGGA, GUADALCANAL, SOLOMON ISLANDS, 1944-01-15. GROUP PORTRAIT OF THE DEPUTY SUPERVISING ...

LUNGGA, GUADALCANAL, SOLOMON ISLANDS, 1944-01-15. GROUP PORTRAIT OF THE DEPUTY SUPERVISING INTELLIGENCE OFFICER (DSIO), NAVAL INTELLIGENCE DIVISION, RAN, AND FELLOW OFFICERS IN THE WARDROOM AT HIS HEADQUARTERS CAMP. ALL OF THEM ARE RAN OFFICERS, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. STANDING, LEFT TO RIGHT: LIEUTENANT (LT) L.A. WALKER; LT W.B. MARSTON; CAPTAIN B. FAIRFAX-ROSS, AUSTRALIAN ARMY; LT F.J. O'HARA; LT COMMANDER D.S. MACFARLANE, DSIO; LT FRED W. MCCONAGHY; LT T.O. SEXTON, RADIO OFFICER; LT A. DRUMMOND-THOMSON. SITTING: LT C.T. LOOKER; LT W.F. BEAUMONT. WALKER, FAIRFAX-ROSS, MACFARLANE AND DRUMMOND-THOMSON ALL SAW SERVICE IN THE FIELD AS COASTWATCHERS. THE DOG IS COCO, WHO ALWAYS GAVE WARNING OF APPROACHING JAPANESE AIRCRAFT BEFORE THE AIR RAID SIRENS SOUNDED. THE WARDROOM WAS KNOWN COLLOQUIALLY AS HMAS ANOPHELES, NO DOUBT BECAUSE OF THE PREVALENCE OF ANOPHELES MOSQUITO AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA. THE DSIO'S HQ AT LUNGGA WAS THE COLLECTION AND RELAY POINT FOR OPERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE GATHERED BY THE NETWORK OF COASTWATCHERS THAT OPERATED IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.