The 79th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, also known as "The Sparrows", was a
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
unit of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
that fought in the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
, the
Battle of Java
The Battle of Java (Invasion of Java, Operation J) was a battle of the Pacific War, Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred on the island of Java (island), Java from 28 February – 12 March 1942. It involved forces from the Empire of Ja ...
, and the
Battle of Timor.
History
Formation
The 79th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery was an independent
Territorial Army unit of the Royal Artillery of the British Army.
Formed in the winter of 1939, the 79th was initially based at
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...
to defend critical installations, such as water reservoirs supplying London. Originally composed of London volunteers, the battery became a full-time unit in September 1939 when war with Germany was declared. As with all Territorial Army units, the battery was absorbed into the regular army by the end of that month. With three other similar batteries, it became part of the 36th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.
Battle of Britain
During the first 2 years of World War II, the unit was employed on anti-aircraft protection duties in the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
's Blitzes of London. This unit also saw action during the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
where it served with distinction defending the
Hawker Aviation
Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that was responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history.
History
Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, which resulted in the bank ...
factory at
Langley Langley may refer to:
People
* Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name
* Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer
* Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...
, Churchill’s country home at
Ditchley
Ditchley Park is a country house near Charlbury in Oxfordshire, England. The estate was once the site of a Roman villa. Later it became a royal hunting ground, and then the property of Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley. The 2nd Earl of Lichfield built ...
, and the oil refinery north of Bristol. Later, the 76th was used in the protection of airfields and key installations in Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...
.
21st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment's formation
The battery converted to using
Bofors 40 millimeter automatic anti-aircraft artillery. Additionally, the battery prepared to become mobile, as conscripted 19-year-old
cockney
Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...
drivers were being trained in Blackpool. Replacement gunners were sourced from the 79th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment trained at
Hadrian's Camp
Hadrian's Camp was a military installation on the line of Hadrian's Wall at Houghton in Cumbria, England.
History
The camp was established, in 1939, as a war-time training facility for the Royal Artillery during the Second World War. After the w ...
in Carlisle and in November 1941 the men were all issued embarkation leave.
The battery was then formed with other batteries, including the 48th and 69th LAA batteries, into the 21st Light Anti Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery for service overseas. The battery received quick training in mobile warfare during 'Exercise Bumper' and was issued with a desert kit. Their equipment was painted in desert camouflage ready for overseas deployment in mid-November.
''"Scuttlebutt"''
At this stage of the war, the European theatre had expanded into the Middle East and North Africa, and large convoys of reinforcements were being sent to Egypt via the long, maritime route around the South African cape and the Suez Canal. Other reinforcements were also being dispatched to India and Singapore.
The
scuttlebutt
Scuttlebutt in slang usage means rumor or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water (or, later, a water fountain).[Basra
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...](_blank)
railhead. The new commanding officer of the 21 LAA Regt, Lt-Col Martin Saunders, was called to the
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
in the third week of November and was given instructions on the regiment's destination and operational tasks. It was a secret operation known only to a few. He was the only one among the regiment who knew that they were to be a part of a small advanced force for a landing in
French Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
and then a subsequent dash to capture the airfields at Tunis and
Bizerta
Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...
.
Deployment
The battery gunners left
Gourock
Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a r ...
on the ''Warwick Castle'' at 08:00 on 7 December 1941. A small team from the 79th accompanied their equipment on the SS ''Malancha'', which sailed independently from Liverpool on the same day as the Japanese launched their attacks on
Malaya and
Pearl Harbour
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
.
While at sea, the planners at the War Office decided to reschedule the operation which had been one of
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
's pet projects, but without letting him know. The Operation would eventually take place a year later as “
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
.”
The small convoy, which had been embedded in a much larger troop convoy WS(14) for their voyage to Gibraltar – the staging post for the invasion of Algiers – did not detach on 11 December as planned, but stayed with the main convoy en route to South Africa. The 'Force' received no instructions about what would be their new destination and mission.
In Cape Town, they were to learn that Britain was now at war with Japan and their new assignment was to defend Singapore. Singapore was under attack before they arrived and they were redeployed to
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
on the jungle-covered island of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
on 3 February 1942. Their ship was attacked as it arrived in port.
In
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
the 79th LAA Battery was split in half. Troop B was sent to defend the airfield of
Malang
Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...
while Troops A and C boarded the ''Ban Hong Leong'' on 9 February to defend
Penfui airfield in
Dutch Timor – the closest airfield to Australia.
Timor
After their ship was chased and attacked by two Japanese submarines, the ship was attacked by Japanese bombers as they arrived at
Koepang
Kupang ( id, Kota Kupang, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 C ensus, it had a population of 442,758; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 455,850. It is the largest ci ...
port on 16 February.
In Timor, the battery of 189 personnel joined
Sparrow Force
Sparrow Force was a detachment based on the 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion and other Dutch, British, US and Australian 8th Division units during World War II. The force was formed to defend the island of Timor from invasion by the Empire ...
– a contingent of 1400 Australian troops, under the command of Australian Lt. Colonel William Leggatt.
To cope with jungle conditions (and the fear that their tall white
pith helmet
The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi) is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish Empire, Spanish military adaptation of the na ...
s would attract
sniper
A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
fire), the 79th Battery were issued with the Australian
Akubra
Akubra is an Australian hat manufacturer. The company is associated with bush hats made of rabbit fur felt with wide brims that are worn in rural Australia. The term "Akubra" is sometimes used to refer to any hat of this kind, however the compa ...
slouch hat
A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat most commonly worn as part of a military uniform, often, although not always, with a chinstrap. It has been worn by military personnel from many different nations including Australia, Ireland, the ...
, which they wore with the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
cap badge. They are the only non-Australian troops ever to be issued with Australia's traditional hat.
The 79th (British) LAA Battery was the only anti-aircraft artillery on
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is East Timor–Indonesia border, divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western p ...
. C Troop defended the
Penfui Aerodrome while two detachments of A Troop each defended the coastal guns at
Klapalima and Force Headquarters at Force Hill.
The battery certainly proved an important part of Sparrow Force. In Leggatt's log, he praised its actions: "This unit showed its excellent discipline and training during the four days of action. Their guns registered eighteen hits upon enemy aircraft and reported 14 aircraft destroyed, including one four-engined troop carrier, and a twin-engine flying boat. Dive bombing did not deter them in the least; only ammunition shortages prevented them from engaging all enemy aircraft presented." According to Captain Fred East's Intelligence Report, the 79th LAA Bty claimed to have shot down:
* 12
Mitsubishi G4M
The Mitsubishi G4M was a twin-engine, land-based medium bomber formerly manufactured by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. Its official designat ...
"Betty" bombers,
* 2
Mitsubishi Ki-57
The Mitsubishi Ki-57 was a Japanese passenger transport aircraft, developed from the Ki-21 bomber, during the early 1940s.
Development
In 1938, when the Ki-21 heavy bomber began to enter service with the Imperial Japanese Army, its capability ...
"Topsy" troop carriers,
* 1 aircraft that resembled a
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
(possibly a
Kawasaki Ki-48
The Kawasaki Ki-48 ( ja, 九九式雙發輕爆擊機, shiki-souhatu-keibaku, shortened to 'Sokei', Army Type 99 Twin-engined Light Bomber), was a Japanese twin-engine light bomber that was used during World War II. Its Allied reporting name was ...
),
* 1 aircraft that resembled a
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
(possibly the
Showa/Nakajima L2D
The Shōwa L2D and Nakajima L2D, given the designations Shōwa Navy Type 0 Transport and Nakajima Navy Type 0 Transport(零式輸送機), were license-built versions of the Douglas DC-3. The L2D series, numerically, was the most important Japa ...
but most likely the
Mitsubishi Ki-57
The Mitsubishi Ki-57 was a Japanese passenger transport aircraft, developed from the Ki-21 bomber, during the early 1940s.
Development
In 1938, when the Ki-21 heavy bomber began to enter service with the Imperial Japanese Army, its capability ...
), and
* 1 "naval biplane flying boat which was a persistent dive-bomber" (possibly the
Mitsubishi F1M
The Mitsubishi F1M ( Allied reporting name "Pete") was a Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. It was the last biplane type of the Imperial Japanese Navy, with 944 built between 1936 and 1944. The Navy designation was "Type Zero Obs ...
.)
They also claimed to have hit 18 bombers and fighters. "Some bombers had similar turret and fuselage to
he_Blenheim_bomber_.html" ;"title="Blenheim_bomber.html" ;"title="he Blenheim bomber">he Blenheim bomber ">Blenheim_bomber.html" ;"title="he Blenheim bomber">he Blenheim bomber All bombers were twin-[engined]."
Japanese Captain Fukada of the Kambe Company Nishiyama "Ace" Battalion stated "that about 20 of their planes had not returned". Natives claimed to have seen 2 crashed Japanese transport planes in the bush with about 28 bodies in each.
The 79th were potent against invading ground forces. The exploding Bofors shells amongst the coconut palms killed numerous advancing infantry. As a result of Sparrow Force's actions, Japan's most successful and elite special force, the 3rd
Yokosuka
is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
, the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region.
The city ...
Special Naval Landing Force
The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF; ja, 海軍特別陸戦隊, Kaigun Tokubetsu Rikusentai) were naval infantry units of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and were a part of the IJN Land Forces. They saw extensive service in the Second Sino ...
– which fought in China, the battles for
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and
Ambon
Ambon may refer to:
Places
* Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia
** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province
** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796
* Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...
– was decimated.
Only one casualty, Gunner Fred Watkins, died in combat. Three were killed on Timor from battle wounds. One member of the battery, Fred Berry, attempted to escape by boat to Australia while another, Harry Martin, was captured and executed while trying to pass critical intelligence to the
2/2nd Independent Company in
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
.
Capture
After capitulation on 23 February 1942 the battery was held at
Usapa Besar POW camp until 23 September 1942. They were then herded into the hold of an old Chinese freighter, the
hellship
A hell ship is a ship with extremely inhumane living conditions or with a reputation for cruelty among the crew. It now generally refers to the ships used by the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army to transport Allied prisoners of ...
''
Dainichi Maru'', with the rest of Sparrow Force and transported to
Surabaya
Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...
via
Dili
Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in ...
coming under attack from
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
bombers and
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and Dutch submarines. From there they travelled by train to
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
and marched to Makasar where they were separated from the Australians and
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
to join the R.A.F. POWs in #5 camp. There they rejoined their comrades from B Troop.
On 15 October, the Battery was broken up and sent to different parts of Southeast Asia. Some were held on Java while on 18 October the rest of the battery boarded the notorious ''Singapore Maru'' and ''Oshida Maru'' freighters to endure a one-week voyage to Singapore.
At Singapore the battery was marched to
Changi
Changi () is a planning area located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah in the East Region of Singapore. Sharing borders with Pasir Ris and Tampines to the west, Changi Bay to the southeast, the South China Sea to the east and the Seran ...
Barracks where they would be medically examined and assessed for labor camps throughout Southeast Asia. Some were sent to work on the
Siam-Burma 'Death' Railway, sent to build the
Sumatra Railway, assigned to work in labor camps all over Japan, or remain in Singapore at the notorious
Changi Prison
Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.
History First prison
Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside t ...
.
Those who travelled to Japan to work in labour camps, endured 46 days on the
hellship
A hell ship is a ship with extremely inhumane living conditions or with a reputation for cruelty among the crew. It now generally refers to the ships used by the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army to transport Allied prisoners of ...
''Dainichi Maru'' and ''
Tofuku Maru''. Most casualties were aboard these hell-ships – from disease shortly after disembarking at
Moji.
In Japan, the 79th gunners on the ''
Tofuku Maru'' travelled by train to
Hiraoka where they were held at the Tokyo #2 Detached (
Mitsushima
Mitsushima, also known as Matsushima, Tokyo No. 2 Detached Camp, Tokyo #3B, and Tokyo 20, was a prisoner of war camp that provided labour to build the Hiraoka Dam on the Tenryū River in the Central Highlands in Japan.
Tatsuo Tsuchiya (also know ...
) POW Camp. There, they worked to build the
Hiraoka Dam
is a dam in Tenryū, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, completed in 1951. It is located on the Tenryū River upstream from the Sakuma Dam.
During the Second World War prisoners of war held at Tokyo #2D (Mitsushima) Prisoner of War Camp provided labo ...
. In April 1944, most of the gunners were sent by train to the Tokyo #16 (
Showa Denko
, founded in 1939 by the merger of Nihon Electrical Industries and Showa Fertilizers, both established by a Japanese entrepreneur Nobuteru Mori, is a Japanese chemical company producing chemical products and industrial materials.
SDK's products ...
) POW Camp in
Kanose
Kanose, also known as ''Tokyo 16B'', was a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War located in the Showa Denko Carbide Plant at Kanose, Niigata in Japan.
The first 100 prisoners at the camp came from Mitsushima POW Camp. Of these, on ...
to stoke furnaces in the
carbide
In chemistry, a carbide usually describes a compound composed of carbon and a metal. In metallurgy, carbiding or carburizing is the process for producing carbide coatings on a metal piece.
Interstitial / Metallic carbides
The carbides of the ...
factory. The gunners who disembarked the ''Dainichi Maru'' joined the Fukuoka #1 POW Camp. This group would be later split and relocated to camps in
Moji,
Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,000, ...
,
Orio
Orio may refer to:
People
Notable people with this name include: Surname
* Baltasar de Echave Orio (late 16th century – mid-17th century), Basque Spanish painter
* Shane Orio (born 1980), Belizean football player Given name
* Orio Mastropiero ( ...
,
Ube,
Omine and
Bibai.
Many died from disease or accidents in labour camps on the
Siam-Burma 'Death' Railway, in
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, Japan,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
,
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
, and
Changi Prison
Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.
History First prison
Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside t ...
. Later in the war, several died when their hell-ships were sunk by United States Navy submarine en route to Japan from Singapore.
Aftermath
After the war ended, Bombardier A.H. 'Jock' Compton fell through the bomb bay doors of a converted
B-24 Liberator bomber transporting liberated POWs from
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
to
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
. 30 other bombers were brought down by a
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
on the same day on the same route killing almost a thousand liberated prisoners of war. To put this number in perspective, 1036 prisoners of war in Japan died during the war.
War Crimes Trials
Several members of the battery were victims of
war crimes. In what would be the first war crimes trial after the war, at
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
, Tatsuo Tsuchiya was found guilty of mistreatment of several battery members which resulted in deaths at
Mitsushima
Mitsushima, also known as Matsushima, Tokyo No. 2 Detached Camp, Tokyo #3B, and Tokyo 20, was a prisoner of war camp that provided labour to build the Hiraoka Dam on the Tenryū River in the Central Highlands in Japan.
Tatsuo Tsuchiya (also know ...
POW Camp at Hiraoka. Several other guards at that camp would also be executed or imprisoned for their roles in the deaths and ill-treatment of battery members. In other
Yokohama War Crimes Trials
The Yokohama War Crimes Trials was a series of trials of 996 Japanese war criminals
The Empire of Japan committed war crimes in many Asian-Pacific countries during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese ...
, several battery members testified against Japanese guards for the ill-treatment of fellow battery members at
Kanose
Kanose, also known as ''Tokyo 16B'', was a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War located in the Showa Denko Carbide Plant at Kanose, Niigata in Japan.
The first 100 prisoners at the camp came from Mitsushima POW Camp. Of these, on ...
and Fukuoka Branch camps.
In
Darwin,
Kempeitai
The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Yujiro Yutani was tried, found guilty, and executed for killing Gunner Harry Martin.
In
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, Otsu Shiro was found guilty of ill-treatment of Allied POWs resulting in the deaths of 27 and physical suffering of many others on the ''Tofuku Maru''. Other Japanese and Korean guards were tried for their roles at POW Camps on Java,
Siam-Burma 'Death' Railway,
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, and the
Sandakan Death Marches
The Sandakan Death Marches were a series of forced marches in Borneo from Sandakan to Ranau which resulted in the deaths of 2,434 Allied prisoners of war held captive by the Empire of Japan during the Pacific campaign of World War II at the ...
on Borneo.
Decorations
Second Lieutenant A.H. Samuelson was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
.
National Archives, Kew, United Kingdom.
/ref> In his citation, it states:
* "On 22 February 1942, at 0730 hours 'A' Troop 79 LAA Battery, R.A., under the command of 2/Lieut A.H. SAMUELSON R.A., were attacked by enemy parachutists from an ambush some 800 yards EAST of village of BABOE in TIMOR. The enemy, who opened a heavy fire using Mortars and Automatics, was posted in trees and thick undergrowth. Two platoons AIF counterattacked."
* "2/Lieut SAMUELSON rallied personnel and displayed considerable coolness directing offensive action while under fire. At one time, the LAA guns were completely encircled and continuously sniped from some 100 yards distance until the two AIF platoons counterattacked."
* "Casualties 1 killed and six wounded."
Each member of The Sparrows earned the following medals:
Commanders
Equipment
Primary weaponry
''Timor''
* 8 x 'Bofors' 40 millimetre Quick-Firing Automatic Anti-Aircraft Artillery
* 16 x Lewis guns
* 12 x Mark 2 Bren Gun
The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also use ...
s
''Malang''
* 4 x Bofors 40 millimetre automatic anti-aircraft artillery
* 8 x Lewis guns
* 6 x Mark 2 Bren Gun
The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also use ...
s
Secondary weaponry
* No.1 Mk.III* Lee–Enfield
The Lee–Enfield or Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century, and was the British Army's st ...
rifles
* No. 69 grenades
* .38 Enfield revolvers (used by officers)
Primary transport
''Timor''
* 8 x Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
5 tonne trucks/tractors
''Malang''
* 4 x Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
5 tonne trucks/tractors
Secondary transport
''Timor''
* 2 x Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
1.5 tonne utility trucks
* 4 x motorcycles with sidecars
''Malang''
* 1 x Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
1.5 tonne utility trucks
* 2 x motorcycles with sidecars
Gallery
File:79th_LAA_Bty_RA_Transport.jpg, Transport gunners,
79 LAA Bty RA,
Blackpool, 1941.
File:79_LAA_Bty_C_Troop.jpg, C Troop,
79 LAA Bty RA,
Scilly, 1941.
Roll of honour
See also
* Sparrow Force
Sparrow Force was a detachment based on the 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion and other Dutch, British, US and Australian 8th Division units during World War II. The force was formed to defend the island of Timor from invasion by the Empire ...
Notes
References
*
*
External links
COFEPOW: Timor Gunners from the 79th Battery 21 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
* ttp://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/timor_port.html L. Klemen, 1999–2000, "The fightings on the Portuguese East Timor Island, 1942"
L. Klemen, 1999–2000, "The East Timor Island, March 1942 – December 1942"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925120236/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/timor_dutch.html , date=25 September 2013
The Australian 8th Division
Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, 79th
Light anti-aircraft batteries of the Royal Artillery
Army Reserve (United Kingdom)