New Guinea the world's 2nd largest island, has difficult terrain so it is home to many isolated tribes, with many different cultures and at least 500 languages. Christian missionaries arrived in the 1860's, but proceeded slowly. Anglican missionaries arrived in 1891 with the backing of the Anglican Church in Australia, following Australian involvement in the administration of the south-east region of New Guinea.

WWII brought the Japanese in January 1942. Most foreigners were evacuated to Australia, but both the Roman Catholic bishop, Alain de Boismeau, and the Anglican bishop, Philip Strong, encouraged their staffs to remain. Bishop Strong, expressing the general feeling amongst the staff:

"We must endeavour to carry on our work. God expects this of us. The church at home, which sent us out, will surely expect it of us. The universal church expects it of us. The people whom we serve expect it of us. We could never hold up our faces again if, for our own safety, we all forsook Him and fled, when the shadows of the Passion began to gather around Him in His spiritual and mystical body, the Church in Papua."

They stayed, and 333 Christians died during World War II in Papua New Guinea: 189 Roman Catholics, 20 Lutherans, 26 Methodists, 2 Seventh Day Adventists, 23 members of The Salvation Army, along with the Anglicans. Today we honour the memory of them all. The representatives of which are the 12 Anglican martyrs below:

• The Revd. Henry Matthews, Priest at Moresby was born at Ararat, Victoria. Although 60 years of age, he stayed when war came. He visited Darn to minister to isolated Christians there and was shot or drowned, when a boat in which he was taking a group of half-castes to safety at Daru was attacked by a Japanese submarine, on August 7th, 1942.
• Leslie Gariadi, Papuan Evangelist (from Boianai), was assisting the Revd. Henry Matthews at Port Moresby. He trained at St. Aidan's College. He was with Revd. Henry Matthews in the boat and died with him.
• Revd. Henry Holland, Priest at Isivita Mission, with 42 years of missionary service, had gone to New Guinea as a lay missionary in 1910 and worked amongst coastal Papuans. In 1921 he was asked by Bishop Henry Newton to explore the Mt. Lamington area. He chose the Sangara plateau as a base and, after a year, had a Church and school built. Both were well used. He came from New South Wales. Captured by heathen tribe and handed over to Japanese, he was beheaded at Buna Beach on 6 Aug 1942.
• Revd. Vivian Frederick Barnes Redlich, Priest at Sangara Mission. Ordained in Wakefield Diocese, England in 1932, he went to Australia to join the Bush Brotherhood of St. Andrew and was stationed at Winton, Queensland. He then offered for service in New Guinea and was accepted. Captured by heathen tribe and handed over to Japanese, beheaded at Buna Beach on 6 Aug 1942.
• Revd. John Frederick Barge, Priest at Apugi Mission, New Britain. An Englishman, he came to Australia in 1926, and became an orchardist in the Stanthorpe area of South Queensland. Ordained in Brisbane in 1932, he was appointed as assistant in the Parish of St. James, Toowoomba. He went to New Britain in 1935. Killed probably earlier than August 1942, his grave is marked on a Mission Station in New Britain near the Mission Station of Apugi and the Government Station of Kandrian.
• Sister Margery Brenchley, Mission Sister at Sangara. An Australian nurse, from Holy Trinity, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Captured by heathen tribe and handed over to Japanese, beheaded at Buna Beach on 6 Aug 1942.
• Sister May Hayman, Mission Sister at Gona. An Australian nurse, trained in Canberra, engaged to the Revd. Vivian Redlich. Joined New Guinea staff in September, 1936, and stationed first at Dogura, then at Boianai, before being sent to Gona. Betrayed by pagan natives to the Japanese, bayonetted and buried at a coffee plantaion, late in August 1942.
• Miss Lilla Lashmar, Mission Teacher at Sangara, who was from Adelaide. Captured by heathen tribe and handed over to Japanese, beheaded at Buna Beach on 6 Aug 1942.
• Miss Mavis Parkinson, Mission Teacher at Gona. An Australian, from the Parish of St. Paul's, Ipswich, Queensland. A member of the Comrades of St. George. Betrayed by pagan natives to the Japanese, bayonetted and buried at a coffee plantation late in August 1942.
• Mr. John Duffill, Mission Builder at Isivita. An Australian, from Holy Trinity, Woollongaba, Brisbane, who should have been on furlough, but stayed. Captured by heathen tribe and handed over to Japanese, beheaded at Buna Beach on 6 Aug 1942.
• Lucian Tapiedi, Papuan Teacher-Evangelist at Sangara (from Taupota). He trained at St. Aidan's College, Dogura. Captured by heathen tribe while leading a group of Missionaries away from the Japenese, he spoke up for them to the heathen and was stuck down by an axe and killed.

Faithful unto death, they chose to remain with their flocks rather than desert them in their hour of danger. They were Martyrs for the Christian Faith. Their deaths were not in vain, inspiring the Papuan Church, and it remained firm. Recovery after the war was rapid, had they deserted much of the work would have had to begin all over again. But they were faithful unto death, and we honour them. Once again the blood of the Martyrs became the seed of the Church.