Leonard Siffleet, an Australian commando during World War II, served in the M Special Unit of the Services Reconnaissance Department.
While on a mission in Papua New Guinea, he was captured by partisan tribesmen along with two Ambonese companions.
They were subsequently handed over to the Japanese. The three men endured interrogation, torture, and were ultimately beheaded.
A photograph capturing the moment before Siffleet’s execution has since become a poignant and enduring image of the war.
Leonard George Siffleet was born on 14 January 1916 in Gunnedah, New South Wales. In the late 1930s, he moved to Sydney with hopes of joining the police force, but his plans were dashed due to his eyesight.
Despite this setback, he was called up for the militia in August 1940 and served in a searchlight unit at RAAF Station Richmond.
After three months in the militia, Siffleet returned home to care for his younger brothers after their mother passed away.
He worked as a shop assistant until September 1941 when he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF).
Initially, he was stationed in Ingleburn, New South Wales, and served at the signals company. During this time, he was engaged to Clarice Lane.
After completing his radio communications training, Siffleet volunteered for special operations in September 1942 and was assigned to the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) of the Allied Intelligence Bureau in Melbourne. He was promoted to sergeant in May 1943.
In that same month, Siffleet joined M Special Unit for a mission to establish a coastwatching station in the hills behind Hollandia in Netherlands New Guinea.
Commander Eric Feldt, director of the Coastwatchers, described Siffleet as “the best type of N.C.O. of the A.I.F., young and competent.”
He joined a team led by Sergeant Thijs Staverman of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which included two Ambonese privates, H. Pattiwal and M. Reharing.
Their mission, code-named Operation Whiting, was to collaborate with another group (Operation Locust), led by Lieutenant Jack Fryer.