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Location
Located to the west of Ibu and the "Kameli Outpost" in the center of Bougainville.
Construction
During January 1944, an runway was cleared by hand by members of the 1st Fiji Battalion, using a few axes dropped from the air and the garrison's entrenching tools and bayonets to clear an area of ground 200 yards by 50 yards. Every available man worked throughout the daylight hours, and on the third day a small reconnaissance plane landed and took off again without mishap.
Naming Honor
Named the "Kameli" in honour of the first Fijian killed on the Ibu expedition.
Wartime History
A regular but hazardous service began the following day from this tiny strip, so dwarfed by the forest around it that it looked like a pencil from the air. Aircraft landed up the hill and took off down the slope.
References
NZ Battalions Move to the Solomons page 277-278
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Last Updated
October 1, 2009
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