Sir William Watt Leggatt (23 December 1894 – 27 November 1968) was an Australian soldier, lawyer and politician. He served as commanding officer of the
2/40th Battalion and later
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 ...
during the Second World War, fighting in
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, also ...
against the Japanese invasion in 1942. He was captured by the Japanese and sent to
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 ...
in Singapore. Following the war, he was based in Melbourne in charge of war crimes investigation until 1946. In 1948 he was elected to the Victorian parliament. He died in 1968 and was accorded a
state funeral.
See also
*
Battle of Timor
References
Leggatt, Sir William Watt (Bill) (1894 – 1968)- Australian Dictionary of Biography
External links
1894 births
1968 deaths
Australian colonels
Australian Knights Bachelor
Australian military personnel of World War I
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian prisoners of war
World War II prisoners of war held by Japan
Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Australian recipients of the Military Cross
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Attorneys-General of Victoria
Australian barristers
Melbourne Law School alumni
People educated at Geelong College
Australian people of Scottish descent
Agents-General for Victoria
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