The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (TX3633) Private Leslie Albert Allen, 2/40thAustralian Infantry Battalion, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Jana Johnson, the story for this day was on (TX3633) Private Leslie Albert Allen, 2/40thAustralian Infantry Battalion, Second World War.

TX3633 Private Leslie Albert Allen, 2/40thAustralian Infantry Battalion
Died at Sea (Tamahoko Maru) 24 June 1944

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Leslie Albert Allen.

Leslie Allen was born at Sisters Creek, Tasmania on 24 September 1918, the eldest son of Albert and Ruby Allen.

Known as “Barney”, he grew up in Myalla, a small rural community in the north-west of Tasmania, and served briefly with the 22nd Light Horse.

Allen enlisted on 28 June 1940 at Launceston and was allotted to the newly formed 2/40th Battalion, the only battalion in the Australian Imperial Force recruited almost entirely from Tasmania.

The 2/40th assembled at Brighton Camp in July 1940, where it spent the rest of the year training.

In December, Allen was granted Christmas leave, and used the opportunity to marry his sweetheart, Leah Poke, at Myalla. Leah would later give birth to a son, Barry Allen.

In early January 1941, Leslie Allen joined his battalion at Bonegilla Camp, near Wodonga on the Victoria-New South Wales border.

In February the battalion was earmarked for deployment to Dutch West Timor to protect the airfields in the event of a Japanese attack. However, as it was thought that deployment might provoke Japanese action, the battalion was initially held back in the Northern Territory.

Once Japan made its intentions obvious with attacks throughout the Asia–Pacific region in early December 1941, the 2/40th was rushed to Timor. It departed Darwin on 10 December, arriving at Koepang two days later. The 2/40th formed the bulk of “Sparrow Force”, which defended the airfield at Penfui, the operational base for the Hudson bombers of 2 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.

Sparrow Force was ill-equipped and likely to be overwhelmed by enemy attack. Its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Leggatt, made repeated requests for greater reinforcement, artillery, and supplies, which were never met.

Japanese air attacks on Timor began in late-January and increased in intensity over the next month. No. 2 Squadron withdrew to Australia on 19 February, and the Japanese attack began the next morning, with an amphibious landing south of Koepang and a parachute landing to the east. Faced with a strong advance from the south and paratroopers on the only road running inland, Sparrow Force destroyed the airfield and began to move inland. During the following days the small force battled its way along the road overcoming several Japanese positions. By the morning of 23 February, however, the odds against Sparrow Force were mounting: food, water, and ammunition were running out; casualties were mounting; and the large Japanese force was closing on its rear.

After the Japanese delivered an ultimatum to surrender or be bombed, the bulk of the 2/40th Battalion, including Private Leslie Allen, became prisoners of war.

The prisoners spent the first seven months of their captivity interned in a camp at Usapa Besar. Lax security allowed men to slip out of camps to forage and gather intelligence. A small party of senior officers was shipped to Java in late July and the rest of the prisoners followed in September. From Java the prisoners were dispersed throughout Japan's conquered territory. They would spend the rest of the war in camps in Java, Burma, Thailand, Japan, Singapore and Sumatra.

While the horrific experiences of the Burma–Thailand Railway and Sandakan are well known, the most dangerous period for a prisoner of war came during transportation.

Those transported across the seas suffered from over-crowding, sickness and disease. While some journeys were short, the longest voyage lasted 70 days. To the prisoners of war, the transport ships on which they had been herded became known as “hellships”. Over a 1,000 prisoners might be crammed into spaces suitable for a few hundred; prisoners were given little food and water; and there was a lack of adequate sanitation facilities. Another threat was posed by Allied submarines.

On 3 June 1944, a large convoy consisting of 19 vessels including the Tamahoko Maru left Singapore. Arriving at Manila just over a week later, the Tamahoko Maru loaded 7,500 tons of copper ore before leaving for Takao. During its journey, it encountered a typhoon, and no prisoners were allowed to eat or use the outboard toilet until they made it into Takao.

After loading more cargo, the Tamahoko Maru left for Moji. Four days later, on 24 June 1944, with the lights of Japan in sight, the Tamahoko Maru was torpedoed by an American submarine. The ship was almost torn apart. Hundreds of prisoners jumped into the sea as it started to sink. Some were later picked up by a Japanese whale chaser, but over 550 died. Among the dead was Leslie Allen, who was 25 years old.

Today he is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, which bears the names of more than 24,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died in Malaya and Indonesia and have no known grave.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Leslie Allen, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Duncan Beard
Editor, Military History Section