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Machete sheath owned by Moss Berryman
Machete sheath owned by Moss Berryman

Machete sheath owned by Moss Berryman

Date1942-1943
Object number00055532
NameSheath
MediumLeather
DimensionsOverall: 515 × 15 mm, 321 g
ClassificationsArmament
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection gift from Moss Berryman
DescriptionMachete (Malayan parang) sheath issued to Able Seaman Moss Berryman during Operation Jaywick, the 1943 Z Force raid on Singapore Harbour from MV KRAIT. The machete suited the clandestine nature of Operation Jaywick, and the need to be equipped for jungle environments. Moss Berryman retained the machete and its sheath throughout his life.HistorySpecial Forces in Australia commenced in 1942 with the plan for Operation Jaywick, a raid on Singapore Harbour. From late 1942 Moss Berryman trained with the other Special Forces operatives for Operation Jaywick at Refuge Bay in NSW before they took their vessel KRAIT( formerly a Japanese fishing vessel) around to Exmouth WA , the raid’s departure point. During this time they were issued with a weapons kit for hand to hand combat which included a knuckleduster, a stiletto stabbing knife, a parang (a Malay machete) and a truncheon. They were given expert instruction and training in their use. Operation Jaywick took place from September 1st to mid-October in 1943. KRAIT’s voyage took the commandoes and crew to within 100 km of Singapore Harbour, deep into Japanese held territory. Three 2-man folding canoes manned by the six commandoes paddled to Singapore Harbour and attached limpet mines to seven ships. Six were sunk or damaged and the canoes rendezvoused with KRAIT soon after. The entire group returned to Exmouth and the Japanese never knew how the operation had been carried out. SignificanceLeading Seaman Moss Berryman’s machete is a rare example of a weapon issued to commandoes in WWII and taken on a military operation.