"I owe my life to the East Timorese"

Tuesday 27 September 2005

Synopsis:
WW2 veteran Ralph Coyne, who was part of Sparrow Force in East Timor in 1942, will tell of his experiences in East Timor and his continuing association from 1942 until now.

Guest profile:
More than 63 years ago, Sgt. Coyne, now in his late 80's volunteered for a special job.  He had joined the Reserve in 1938. In 1942, after transferring to the 2nd AIF Signals, he was at a parade of 500 men when there was a call for signallers to join a special force to be dropped into enemy-held territory. A dozen men stepped forward and, that September, Sgt. Coyne found himself part of Sparrow Force behind Japanese lines in Portuguese Timor. The job was to report on enemy shipping and logistic movements and to harass and ambush Japanese forces.

"I was there for four months and we did not expect to see Australia again. We had no food supplies and were totally reliant on the natives," Ralph Coyne said.

Sparrow Force in East Timor

In December 1941 Japan made a spectacularly successful entry to World War 2 by invading Malaya, the Indonesian archipelago and the south Pacific.

Australia had a small force, known as Sparrow Force, to defend the island of Timor. The Japanese invaded in February 1942.

The enemy controlled the air and the sea, and despite a spirited campaign, most of the Australians, mainly the 2/40th Battalion, were forced to surrender.

One group, however, the 2/2nd Independent Company, were not captured and were able to fight on. They relied heavily on support from the Timorese, and a strong relationship seems to have developed between the two groups. The indigenous people of East Timor were much more supportive of the Australians than those of West Timor, as a result of the different ways the Dutch and Portuguese had treated them.

The 2/2nd were later reinforced and replaced by the 2/4th Independent Company. It was during the landing of the 2/4th Independent Company at Betano on 23 September 1942 that HMAS Voyager went fast aground and was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The vessel had to be destroyed.

By the time the 2/4th Independent Company arrived, the Japanese were intent on terrorising the local people to try and force them to stop helping the Australians.

Australian forces were withdrawn in December 1942 and January 1943.  It is estimated that around 60,000 East Timorese died as a result of the Japanese invasion - many in retribution for supporting the Australian forces.

Links to further information:

Support for East Timor - then and now.
The Fall of Timor in WW2