The Koolama Incident, 1942

Backyard Battlefields

Jan 16, 202522:12News & Politics

The 'Koolama' was a ship of Western Australian State Shipping Service. It was built in 1936 by Harland and Wolff, ominously the same firm that built 'Titanic', for the servicing of the remote ports of the North West and...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Backyard Battlefields.

SAS Ambush: The Tractor Job, Vietnam 1968

Jul 23, 2026 - 13:14

In Phuoc Tuy province, South Vietnam, a tractor was stolen from the French Courtenay rubber plantation. I...

Busselton Bomber: Missing Beaufort, 1943

Jul 10, 2026 - 10:00

The Beaufort was a twin-engined torpedo bomber, built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. In 1939 the Austr...

Heart of Darkness: The King Leopold Ranges, WA

Jul 3, 2026 - 06:06

The Wunaamin-Miliwundi ranges are an elevated feature running through Western Australia's Kimberley regio...

Wheatbelt at War: Cunderdin, 1940

Jun 25, 2026 - 06:14

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Station Cunderdin was established in 1940 near the Western Australian w...

Northam, US Naval Ammunition Depot, 1943

Jun 22, 2026 - 05:57

Northam is a small town approximately 100KM East of Perth. During WW2 it supported the US Navy's 7th Flee...

Paw Patrol: Greenland's Sirius Dog Sled Patrol

Jun 10, 2026 - 19:31

The Sirius Dog Sled Patrol is a Danish Naval Special Forces unit. Named for the brightest star in the nig...

Korean War 'Mig Killer': Bill Simmonds, RAAF

Apr 30, 2026 - 17:26

Bill Simmonds was from Bunbury, Western Australia. A pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 77...

Operation Hurricane: Britain's First Atomic Test

Nov 6, 2025 - 01:06:13

On October 3, 1952 Britain detonated an atomic bomb on the MonteBello Islands, 50 miles off Western Austr...