Footsteps of Sparrow Force
The annals of military history contain many individual battles and small campaigns that are filled with deeds of individual courage and determination. Because of their smaller size, or the fact they were not directly part of primary larger events that foreshadowed them, most people including even those who follow military history are often not that familiar with some of these isolated engagements.
It often takes the determination of an individual or some small group of people to bring these type of small heroic actions to the forefront of the general masses. A good example is the actor Stanley Baker. Sir Stanley Baker (28 February 1928 – 28 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Using his newly-formed production company called Diamond Films, Baker produced and starred in a 1960's movie that most of you will be familiar with called ZULU, which told the story of the historic January 1879 defense of Rorke's Drift by the 24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. What many people don't know is that Baker was an avid military medals collector and he personally owned the Victoria Cross awarded to Lieutenant John Chard, the officer commanding Rorke's Drift.
Baker felt that the battle of Rorke's Drift was not well known or appreciated in Wales, or for that matter, the U.K. in general, so he decided to create a movie to focus attention on the courage and valor of the small garrison of defenders of the mission station at Rorke's Drift. Although the movie itself is purely Hollywood in style and Baker takes a LOT of artist's license with the facts of the battle and various real life characters portrayed in it, his efforts did bring a huge awareness about this small battle where 11 V.C.'s were won, the most awarded for a single day's action in the history of the British Army.
So, what does this have to do with Footsteps of 'Sparrow Force'?
In simple terms, it demonstrates how one person with a personal dream and using the power of film, can bring a much broader awareness to historical events that have become buried with the passage of time. Ian Skennerton has set out to accomplish a similar thing, except his goal is to raise awareness of Sparrow Force, which was a detachment based on the 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion and other Australian 8th Division units, during World War II. The force was formed to defend the island of Timor, from invasion by the Empire of Japan. It formed the main part of the Allied units in the Battle of Timor (1942–43).
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Footsteps of Sparrow Force combines the old with the new; cherished photographs and records carefully preserved by an ever-diminishing number of survivors, recorded and processed using new digital technologies. It is about seventy years since those men left their homes and loved ones on the great adventure to the north. Europe, they thought, would be their destination, to see England and the Continent or maybe North Africa and the Middle East, to fight the Nazis. Few ever realized that when Sparrow Force was conceived and Japan entered the war, they would be sent to an island only a few hundred miles distant, that would change all their lives forever.
Funding remains a top priority for the production and we are in consultation with various associations regarding this. Should any visitors to this page or to our website know of Sparrow Force member families, photographs or momentos, we would be pleased to hear from you. Also, regarding the funding from any ex-POW, Services Clubs or Veteran groups, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail at
idskennerton@hotmail.com or through our website at
http://www.skennerton.com
We are now in the Pre-Production phase for 'In the Footsteps of Sparrow Force'. As well as the 2-hour television documentary, there will be a DVD of the production available which contains many new wartime photographs along with GPS references. This will enable the story of Sparrow Force to be followed today in real time on Google Earth, from your computer at home. It would be a tribute to the men of Sparrow Force, whose sacrifices have been generally overlooked until quite recently, if we could have the project finished for Anzac Day in 2011. Lest we forget.
... Ian Skennerton
After reading more about the Sparrow Force story and talking with Ian about what he's trying to accomplish, I felt that this project was highly worthy of putting our own collective site resources and individual personal member efforts towards, in order to assist Ian in whatever way we can. The most obvious thing we can help with initially is to act as a fund raising conduit through our site, giving our 13,000 strong membership the ability to personally donate to help Ian reach his goal of raising the funds needed to move to the production phase. Members who graciously donate will receive special site recognition, as well as donations over a certain amount will receive a complimentary copy of the documentary on DVD. Please watch for upcoming site announcements as to how you may participate, working with Ian and other members to help bring to life the production of 'Footsteps of Sparrow Force'.
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This is the documentary Damian Parer filmed on Timor in late September 1942. A lot of the events are recreated and certain facts altered - including the name of Bill Sargeant's wife "Kathleen." Winnie the War Winner was Australia's Finest Hour as MacArthur admitted that it is was the first good news of the war that he'd received and a turning point.
'Footsteps of Sparrow Force' now in production
After months in pre-production, we are proceeding with initial filming; there are only about 12 survivors of the 1,300 man force on Timor in 1941-42. Two more members helping our project have died in the past few months.
We aim to host the last travel-capable Sparrow Force member, 'Lofty' Smith, of 8 Pl., A Coy., 2/40th Btn., back to Timor to recall the actions of 19 to 23rd February 1942. He visited Timor 18 months ago to dedicate the memorial at Ouisow Ridge, so he knows the terrain and remembers the scenes well. Recently diagnosed with cancer, this would be Fred's last visit to those fatal shores, it is literally a 'do or die' effort in about six weeks time.
To record the event we plan to take a television news crew and visit the sites where Fred and others fought at Baboe on 20th and 21st, Ouisow Ridge on 22nd and Irekum on 23rd February 1942. It is personal for me too; my father was in Sparrow Force, a sapper of the 2/11th Fd. Coy., destroying the airdrome and bridges behind them to stall the Japanese. Ouisow Ridge was the scene of a charge against entrenched Jap paratroops and marines, the last battalion bayonet charge in history. For losses of less than 50 Aussies k.i.a., about 1,000 Japanese perished over the 3-day period. The irony is that nobody knew of this until recently... when we asked some survivors why they had not mentioned it before, they said that nobody would have believed them.
Their courage and humble achievement must be recorded, so their children, grand children, families and history can know, before it is too late. All my father would say, proudly, was ... 'We went through those marines and paras like a dose of salts'. Japanese recorded only 78 survivors of the S.N.L.F. and marines. Most of Sparrow Force spent the rest of the war as pow's. We can understand why they put the events behind them for so many years, tinged with memories of lost mates in battle, to disease, hellship drownings and slave labour on the railways and Jap factories and mines.
How to donate to the 'Footsteps of Sparrow Force Fund'
To donate to 'Footsteps of Sparrow Force Fund', a member may choose one of two methods.
First, a member who has an active and valid PayPal account may donate directly using the PayPal link provided at the bottom of these instructions. If you don't have a PayPal account, there is an option to donate with a standard debit or credit card such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express. To do that, you select the option to use PayPal below and you'll get redirected to the PayPal site. At that point, look under the Pay with my PayPal account option and instead, select the Pay with a debit or credit card option. Note: We have never used the credit card option ourselves, so we're unsure as to whether the user is assessed a service charge for doing so. Therefore, if that concerns you, make sure you check to see if either PayPal or the supported credit card companies do that before you complete your donation.
Second, a member may send a standard type of financial instrument such as a personal cheque, bank draft or money order using the regular postal service.
With the gracious assistance of Tom "tbonesmith" who resides in Australia and who has agreed to act as "Treasurer" of the fund, we have set up a "pony express" relay for donations such as this through Tom, who will then consolidate and forward them onto Ian Skennerton. So, for regular parcels or envelopes with donations etc., please follow this procedure.
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Send your personal check, bank draft or money order to:
Footsteps of Sparrow Force Fund
c/o Mr. Tom Smith
P.O. Box 454
Coogee 2034
Australia
Note: Please make the payee name on all financial instruments to "Independent Digital Studio".
Also, please write directly on the financial instrument you use, or enclose on a separate piece of paper the following information .....
Your Milsurps.Com Forum User Name:
The Amount Donated ($25, $50, $75, $100, $150 or $200):
Contributors using the regular postal system should also provide the following contact information ...
Real Name:
Address:
State/Province:
Postal/Zip Code:
Country:
Telephone Number:
Any donation over $50 will receive a complimentary copy of the production documentary on DVD when it's released. PayPal users should make sure they include their postal mailing address in the PayPal comments section of their PayPal order, to ensure any contributors over this amount using PayPal will receive their complimentary copy of the DVD.
Once Tom receives any donations sent via the regular postal service, he will notify us of the amount donated and your Milsurps.Com forum user name. At that time, we will add your user name to the public list of on-line donators, as well as provide you with unique public recognition on the site through a special "Sparrow Force Donator" banner, which will appear under your user name in on-line posts. If you choose to donate using PayPal, please note that all donations are in AUD (Australian Dollars) and PayPal will automatically handle currency conversions for you. Once you donate using PayPal, you will receive a PM (Private Message) on this site indicating your PayPal donation is being checked and processed. Once Tom confirms that PayPal has authorized your payment, you will receive a second PM indicating that fact and the the unique public recognition special "Sparrow Force Donator" banner will automatically appear under your user name in on-line posts.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/sparrow.jpg
For additional information and to ask any questions about the project, please read Footsteps of Sparrow Force Questions & Answers (click here).
To review the 'Footsteps of Sparrow Force Fund', check the Current Status and Donations Listing (click here).
On behalf of Ian, Tom and the "Footsteps of Sparrow Force" project, we'd like to thank you for your kindness and generosity.
British & cable TV channels
An initial network approach saw interest but they 'want to do it their way'. We don't need a heroine, a gay or disadvantaged axe to grind to make it politically correct today. But there was at least one aboriginal member, 'Chunda' Hudson of the 2/11th Fd. Coy! We will be looking for network sales when we are doing final editing. Thanks for the tip.
Ian
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Originally Posted by
bigduke6
Ian, Doug,
More than happy to contribute, wont be much, but every little helps. No mention how we go about making the contributions as yet,
Have you tried in the UK for any help, Am sure one of the major TV channels was looking for ideas at making a documentry, Think it was Channel 4.
Also the History, and Miltary channels on SKY tv may be worth a try.
No.3 Mk I*(T) sniper rifles
I thought I replied on this thread before but can't see it posted. Maybe I clicket the wrong button.
Yes, the 2/2nd Ind. Coy. had a number of designated snipers in their 4 companies (A, B C and D). Possibly as many as one for each section. I have seen at least three different men with the Patt.14 sniper rifles, their issue was likely more than a dozen sniper units on East Timor.
Ian
Pattern 1914 Mk I* - Rifle No.3 Mk I* (T)
Gents and Ladies,
Probably premature in posting this before I've taken any photos, but thought it might be of interest.
In my collection is the rifle listed in the title. Chances are it has seen service under both designations. It is a Winchester, serial 191511, wearing a Periscopic Prism Company Ltd. Model 1918 scope, bearing the barred-out serial number 165730. The bolt is mismatched, and, somewhere along the way, it has received an Eddystone barrel. In past correspondence, Ian has kindly revealed that when these rifles went to disposal, the rifles were in one pile, some with bolts removed, while the scopes were in another pile, so it would appear that mismatches are more common than not.
Original condition being a lost cause, two of our more esteemed Milsurps members were instrumental in getting the old girl back into original trim, as Brian Dick supplied a fine-adjustment rear sight that he had found in New Zealand, (replacing the standard rear sight it had), and Peter Laidler, through Brian, supplied the heavy-duty, excellent quality, leather scope covers he had made.
As these rifles saw service right through the Korean War, who can say how many of these replaced parts actually occurred during its service life? The better condition of the scope's finish leads me to suspect it is a post-service mating, but I'll never know for sure. The woodwork, receiver and rest of the rifle certainly have a "been-there, done-that" look about them, but the mismatched parts could possibly be post-service. Doesn't matter, I'll never sell it.
Assemblage or not, it is one of my favorite Brit sniping rifles, and what makes it so is what is stamped on the right-rear sight ear. Appearing to have been stamped about the same time as the relocated serial number, and, to the left and just above it, is "D /l\ D", with a "2" stamped just above the small broad arrow between the two "D"s, and "2 4 7 " stamped directly below the government ownership mark. If this marking indicates Second AIF, 2/47 Bn., according to Osprey Publishing's, Elite No. 153, "The Australian Army in World War II" by Mark Johnston, this rifle may very well have served on Bougainville at Wau-Salamaua.
Don't think I have any other WW II British arm that is unit marked, other than the more general "RAF" marked handguns, and, this rifle is obviously in poorer condition than any of my other sniping rifles, but, I have the impression that this rifle actually did what it was intended to do, something its pristine safe-mates can't attest to. I just love this old warrior.
Terry
Update on our Sparrow Force project
Hello again to forum members following our Sparrow Force documentary.
As most Australian and p-o-v (point of view) scenes are shot outdoors, we've been delayed about six months with rain. Only recently could we finally do the Usau (Ouisow) Ridge village and weapons sequences. Then again this weekend we could not film maize (corn) field sequences at Warwick because of rain. It's been almost non-stop since October!
Filming is 80% complete now, then we move to post-production (editing). Our publishing schedule is 3 months behind because of the rain and other delays however the extra time has seen more contacts with Sparrow Force members' families and added to our stock of original photographs and personal accounts.
We are on track to have the DVD release for Remembrance Day (11th Nov.) as a 1 hour 40 minutes documentary along with a 2nd CD of historical records, complete nominal rolls, photos of graves and memorials for those who are now buried overseas, etc.
And thank-you to those who have helped with the project,
Ian
Sparrow Force mail-out to donors
With the list of 18 donors for $50 and over, we e-mailed each but four members did not respond with their postal delivery addresses, hence we could not forward their complimentary copies. These members, according to my list, were...
Badger
trademarklondon
Ablationman
saddler
Please send your postal delivery address to me, idskennerton@hotmail.com so we can post your copies out.
Thank-you again, Ian
