A monument to member of Z Force Special Unit

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On the naval base HMAS Stirling on Garden Island off the coast of Western Australia, is a memorial to the elite Z Special Unit. This small joint Allied unit operated during World War II, predominantly on Borneo and the islands of the former Dutch East Indies. The special duties of Z Force were to disrupt Japanese seacraft and prevent them from reaching Australia’s northern shores. The raids involved using a submarine or a craft disguised as a fishing boat to get close to a harbour. Collapsible kayaks (folboats) would then be paddled into the harbour under cover of darkness and the men would attach limpet mines to as many enemy ships as possible. They would then retreat and lie low until they could rendez-vous with the submarine. On one such operation, the Krait left Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia and moored off Singapore. Six men paddled 50 kilometres (31 miles) to a small island where a forward base was established. The following night they paddled into the harbour to attach the limpet mines. This resulted in the sinking or serious damage to four Japanese ships and of course caused great consternation among the Japanese, as they had no idea how the mines could have been attached. Similar operations were also very successful. What was especially interesting to my husband was that, when he was appointed bursar at a private school, the current headmaster and the previous bursar had both been members of Z Force. The photo was taken by Vince through the window of the bus while our guide deliberately looked the other way. We were in an area where photography wasn’t allowed although there was no harm in taking a photo of the monument.