Press statement made by Rt. Hon. F. M. Force, Minister for the Army
Date1946
Object number00055856
NamePress statement
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall (three pages together): 312 × 215 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection purchased with the support of the Australian Government through the National Cultural Heritage Account and the Australian National Maritime Museum Foundation through the generosity of the families of Ted Carse's brothers.
DescriptionThree page document that contains a press statement made by Rt. Hon. F. M. Force, Minister for the Army and dated 1st August 1946. The document has a letter from A.R. Nankervis, the Secretary of the Department of the Navy Office in Melbourne to Lieutenant Hubert Edward Carse, commander of the KRAIT. .
The release discusses the matters of the Jaywick operation and acknowledges the bravery and commitment of the officers to the mission. In the press statement, the death of the officers on a subsequent mission is announced.HistoryOn the night of 26 September 1943, six members of Australia’s Z Special Unit carried out a daring clandestine raid against Imperial Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour. To avoid detection, the men had been transported deep into enemy territory aboard a Japanese-built fishing vessel, assumed the appearance of local fishermen, and launched their attack using folding kayaks and limpet mines. The mission, Operation Jaywick, was a complete success, resulting in the damage or destruction of seven Japanese ships and no Allied losses.
Hubert Edward Carse had joined the Royal Australian Navy as a 13 year old Cadet Midshipman and resigned his commissionin 1921. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he was mobilised by proclamation and reported for duty with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve. He was promoted Lieutenant (provisional) on 4 January 1943, joined Z Force later the same month, and was assigned command of Krait during Operation Jaywick.
Following the raid’s successful conclusion, Carse continued to work with Z Force. Most of the commandos who participated in Operation Jaywick were tragically killed in a follow-up raid on Singapore Harbour called Operation Rimau. Carse was one of the few Jaywick operatives to survive the war, was mentioned in despatches in 1944, and discharged from military service in 1946.
He was later instrumental in facilitating the return of KRAIT to Australia from Borneoduring the 1960s. KRAIT is a nationally-significant object in the collections of the Australian War Memorial, but has been on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum since 1988. Carse died at Newtown, New South Wales in 1970.SignificanceThis is a poignant reminder that despite the success of Operation Jaywick, its very exsistance was kept secret from the participant's families and the public until the end of the war. By this time, six men from the group had been killed in subsequent operations.