Sadly, I inform Doublereds members and supporters that WWII Timor campaign veteran Jim Ellwood passed away peacefully at his Melbourne home last Sunday afternoon surrounded by his family – Jim was aged 99 years and would have celebrated his 100th birthday on the 16th of December. Jim’s son Damian has advised me ‘I think we will convert the 100th into a celebration of his life as he didn’t want a funeral service’.

Corporal Jim Ellwood was a Cipher Specialist with NT Force Signals when he arrived on Timor with the advance party of the No. 4 Independent Company on 15 September 1942. He was attached to Sparrow Force HQ in his specialist capacity and continued in that role when Lancer Force succeeded Sparrow Force on 7 December 1942. He then volunteered as a member of the 14 man S Force (Stay Behind Party) that was established on 9 January 1943 to continue to observe and report on Japanese activities after the departure of the No. 4 Independent Company from Timor. S Force was evacuated from Timor to Fremantle by the submarine USS Gudgeon on 10 February 1943. Ellwood returned to Timor in September 1943 as a member of the ill-fated SRD (Z Special) Operation Lagarto, was captured and spent the remainder of the war as a POW (mostly in Dili) and subject to terrible deprivation and torture.

The late Jim Truscott prepared an informative article relating aspects of Jim’s life and wartime experiences; the issue of COMMANDO – The Magazine of the Australian Commando Association that includes the article can be downloaded from https://www.yumpu.com/…/commando-magazine-edition-3-2020 – see p. 63-66.

Jim Ellwood was a humble, brave and honourable man who would have been well known to many of the No. 2 Independent Company men who served on Timor.

VALE Jim, RIP

Ed Willis, President, 2/2 Commando Association of Australia