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Signed photograph of MV KRAIT
Signed photograph of MV KRAIT

Signed photograph of MV KRAIT

Date1980
Object number00056182
NamePhotographic print
MediumCibachrome colour photographic print
DimensionsOverall: 288 × 360 × 9 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Jacqui Sykes
DescriptionThis photograph of MV KRAIT motoring in tranquil waters, features signitures og 11 individuals who participanted in the 1943 Operation Jaywick raid on Singapore Harbour, or in the recovery and restoration of KRAIT. The signatories were brought together for the episode, nearly 40 years after Operation Jaywick. They include Moss Berryman, Cobber Cain, Joe Jones, Horrie Young, Ron Morris Keith Calder and John Gardner.HistoryOn behalf of the Australian War Memorial, the museum holds and maintains one of the most militarily significant vessels of World War II – MV KRAIT (ex KOFUKU MARU). This small vessel was adapted for a clandestine raid on Singapore Harbour in September 1943, known as Operation Jaywick and conducted by Z Special Unit. The raid entailed a combined operation by Australian army and naval personnel, leading to the sinking of six Japanese vessels and considerable propaganda value. Recently the museum has acquired and displayed a range of personal and operational mementoes from Operation Jaywick, especially artefacts from the family of Lieutenant Hubert Edward ‘Ted’ Carse, captain of KRAIT. This photograph of KRAIT at sea originated in an episode of the Channel 7 television program ‘This is Your Life’, filmed in 1980. Unusually, the subject of the program was not a person, but MV KRAIT itself. The photograph depicts the vessel at that time, and a larger version of the same image was used as a backdrop during the episode. The program brought together surviving members from Operation Jaywick, both from Australia and the UK, including Moss Berryman, Cobber Cain, Joe Jones, Horrie Young and Ron Morris (Carse had died in 1970). Other signatories associated with the history of the vessel included Keith Calder, who found KRAIT dragging logs in Malaysia, plus John Gardner, a member of Z Special Unit who did not participate in Operation Jaywick. For many, it was the first time they had assembled since World War II. All of these individuals, plus several others, signed this photograph during the filming process.SignificanceThis photograph featured prominently in the popular television series This Is Your Life, and is signed by 11 participants in Operation Jaywick and/or the recovery and restoration of KRAIT. They were reunited for the episode, some for the first time in nearly 40 years.