Secondary Schools Teacher Resource

Teacher Resource

Secondary Schools Teacher Resource

An exhibition highlighting the Second World War effort of Australia’s first guerrilla commandos and

their life-long endeavour to repay a ‘debt of honour’ to the people of Timor-Leste.

Dam

ien

Par

er, c

ourt

esy

Aus

tral

ian

War

Mem

oria

l A

WM

013

792

museum.wa.gov.au

Teacher Resource

Overview 3

Student Experience 3

Curriculum Links 4

Pre-visit Activities 5

Learning Options 6 - 7Preparation

Learning Option 1: Snap Shot Responses Historical Inquiry Student Sheets

Learning Option 2: Year 10 World War II Depth Study Inquiry Historical Inquiry Student Sheets

Learning Option 3: Open-ended Questions Historical Inquiry Student Sheets

Post Visit Activities 20

Resources 22

Contents

Cover image: Private Jack Wicks from Bassendean Western Australia with his criado.

Damien Parer, courtesy Australian War Memorial AWM 013792

Western Australian MuseumTeacher Resource: Debt of Honour© 2012 museum.wa.gov.au 2

OverviewIn 1942, a small force of approximately 300 Australian commandos fought a successful guerrilla campaign in East Timor holding down over 10,000 Japanese troops. Composed mainly of the 2/2nd Independent Company, their success was due to their unique style of warfare, their staunch refusal to surrender to the Japanese and the remarkable support of the East Timorese people, especially the young criados who assisted the commandos. Following the withdrawal of Australian forces in early 1943, the Timorese were to pay a terrible price at the hands of the Japanese for their support of the Australians: 40 000 to 60 000 East Timorese died from the fighting or from war-caused famine and disease. The Debt of Honour – Australia’s First Commandos and East Timor exhibition examines the heroic exploits of the commandos and the significance of the support Australian soldiers received from the East Timorese.

Student Experience The Debt of Honour exhibition encourages students to examine the war time experiences of Australia’s First Commandos in East Timor in World War II. Students will interpret Australian, Timor-Leste and Japanese perspectives on wartime conflict through artefacts, company stories, personal effects and military regalia displayed. Students have the opportunity to develop a historical and empathic understanding of the significance of World War II to Australia’s international relationship with Timor-Leste by examining the sequence of events that bind our countries together, including wartime support in World War II, Indonesian occupation, United Nations Intervention, as well as the political and economic disputes faced by both countries during the 21st century.

Debt of Honour Australia’s First Commandos and East Timor

“Little known but of great significance are the men of the 2/2nd Independent Company in Timor, they alone of all the troops did not surrender.”

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill 1942


Curriculum Links The Debt of Honour exhibition provides clear links to the Australian History Curriculum with a focus on The Modern World and Australia with particular relevance to World War II:

Students investigate wartime experiences through a study of World War II in depth. This includes the study of the causes, events, outcomes and broader impact of the conflict as an episode in history, and the nature of Australia’s involvement.

Historical Knowledge & Understanding (Year 10 focus)

Historical Skills (Year 7 to 12)

An overview of the causes and course of World War II.

An examination of significant events of World War II.

The experience of Australians during World War II.

The significance of World War II to Australia’s international relationships in the twentieth century, with particular reference to the United Nations, Britain, the USA and Asia.

Outlining the purpose of the United Nations and the key places where Australia has been involved in UN peacekeeping, such as East Timor (Timor Leste).

Identify and analyse the perspectives of people from the past.

Identify the origin, purpose and context of primary and secondary sources.

Evaluate the reliability and usefulness of primary and secondary sources.

Process and synthesise information from a range of sources for use as evidence in an historical argument.

Identify and select different kinds of questions about the past to inform historical inquiry.

Develop texts, particularly descriptions and discussions that use evidence from a range of sources that are referenced.

Members of the 2/2nd Signal Section

Damien Parer, courtesy Australian War Memorial AWM 013778


Pre-Visit Activities Students visiting the Debt of Honour exhibition will benefit from having some understanding of events leading to the outbreak of World War II and knowledge of the 2/2nd Independent Company.

Select tasks from the suggestions below that are most suitable for your class: • Read the synopsis of World War II as presented by the Australian War Memorial

http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/ww2.asp

• Watch ABC’s Australians At War DVD (Episode 4 and 5) for a comprehensive background to Australia’s role in World War II.

• Read the outline of the 2/2nd Independent Company available on the Australian War Memorial Website http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_13313second_world_war.asp

• View the photo essay Fighting In Timor 1942 at http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/timor_photo.asp

• Visit http://doublereds.org.au/site/history/ to interact with the 2/2nd Commandos Association of Australian (Inc.) website for relevant background into the East Timor campaign and to become familiar with how this organisation continues to work with locals in East Timor.

Under cover of darkness, a covert supply drop from HMAS Vigilant. Courtesy the Allied Geographical Survey.

Reproduced from The Men Who Came Out of the Ground, Paul Cleary


Learning Options There are three different historical inquiry options to choose from to examine the Debt of Honour exhibition. Select the option that is best suited to your class and the purpose of your visit.

Snap Shot Responses Year 10 World War IIDepth Study Inquiry

Historical InquiryOpen-ended Questions

Target Audience: Year 7 to 10 students

Suggested Time Frame: 30-45 minutes

Key ExperienceStudents explore the artefacts, company stories, personal effects and military regalia displayed and respond to multi-layered questions to increase their understanding of the themes presented in the Debt of Honour exhibition.

Target Audience: Year 10 History Students

Suggested Time Frame: 60 minutes

Key ExperienceStudents respond to directed and open-ended questions relating to themes examined in the Year 10 Australian History Curriculum.

Target Audience: Year 10-12 Students

Suggested Time Frame: 60+ minutes

Key ExperienceStudents demonstrate their historical inquiry skills by exploring the exhibition and gathering evidence from primary and secondary sources displayed to respond to selected open-ended tasks.

Snap Shot Responses Preparation: • Photocopy the Snap Shots Response sheets for all students prior to attending the

Debt of Honour exhibition.

• Students move through the exhibition examining the items and stories displayed while responding to directed and reflective questions that require personal perspectives on highlighted themes.

• Responses completed can be used for follow-up back at school.


Year 10 Depth Study Inquiry Tasks Preparation: Photocopy the Year 10 World War II Depth Study Guide prior to visiting the Debt of Honour exhibition. Familiarise students with the three different Depth Study Inquiry Tasks, and encourage them to decide which task they wish to investigate while at the exhibition.

At the exhibition:

The Depth Study Inquiry process is best achieved in two parts:

Part 1: Duration: 30 minutes Students move through the Debt of Honour exhibition conducting a general

exploration of the artefacts, company stories, personal effects and military regalia displayed.

Part 2: Duration: 30 minutes Students move through the exhibition a second time responding to a previously

selected Inquiry Task. The information students gather for their Inquiry Task will need to come from multiple locations within the exhibition; evidence won’t be contained in just one display. Information gathered can be used as follow-up back at school.

Western Australian MuseumDebt of Honour: Year 10 World War II Depth Study Guide Student sheets© 2012 museum.wa.gov.au

Depth Study Inquiry Task 1: An overview of the causes and course of World War II

Which locations in the Pacific were regiments of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and allied forces deployed to defend the region against the Japanese Imperial Force?

What was Japan’s motivation for entering the war? Which countries had the Japanese Imperial Force successfully occupied prior to their landing in Timor?

What were the methods used to recruit men for the AIF? How were AIF trained men selected for the first Independent Companies including the 2/2nd commandos?


Depth Study Inquiry Task 2: The experiences of Australians during World War II

Describe the skills and warfare employed by the 2/2nd to attack an army of a significantly greater number of soldiers?

Explain the significance of the support received by the 2/2nd commandos from the East Timorese and criados to assist their efforts in fighting against the Japanese.

Outline the different weapons and forms of communication technology used by the 2/2nd commandos and how these contributed to their survival.

Describe how the 2/2nd commandos felt when they were informed that they could not bring their criados back to Australia with them.


Depth Study Inquiry Task 3: Significance of World War II to Australia’s international relationships in the 20th century

How did the Dutch Portuguese respond to the presence of Australian commandos in their country during World War II?

What was the fate of the East Timorese following the withdrawal of Australian soldiers in 1943?

What was the significance of Australia’s contribution to the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) during the violence in East Timor in 1999?

Describe the conflict of interest between Australia and East Timor regarding the Timor Gap Treaty and explain why members of the 2/2nd Independent Company were outraged by this and what they did to instigate change.

Inquiry Task 1 Inquiry Task 2 Inquiry Task 3


In 1

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providedbytheEastTimorese?

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Wes

tern

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Mus

eum

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are,

in A

pril

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.

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ture

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Cyr

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roce

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Deb

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exhi

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fam

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sto

ries

an

d ar

tefa

cts

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Task

you

hav

e se

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leas

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info

rmat

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you

r re

spon

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nee

d to

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om m

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the

exh

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vide

nce

won

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st o

ne d

ispl

ay.

•Informationgatheredcanbeusedforfollow-upbackatschool.

Hist

oric

al In

quiry

Tas

k:

Year

10

Wor

ld W

ar II

Dep

th S

tudy

Gui

de

B P

lato

on o

ffice

rs a

nd t

heir

loya

l cria

dos.

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om N

isbe

t w

ith R

ufino

and

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risto

with

Cap

t G

eoff

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dlaw

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r S

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tern

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tral

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Mus

eum

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our:

Yea

r 10

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ar II

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th S

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Dep

th S

tudy

Inqu

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ask

1:

An

over

view

of t

he c

ause

s and

cou

rse

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orld

War

II

Whi

ch lo

catio

ns in

the

Pac

ific

wer

e re

gim

ents

of

the

Aus

tral

ian

Impe

rial F

orce

(AIF

) and

alli

ed

forc

es d

eplo

yed

to d

efen

d th

e re

gion

aga

inst

the

JapaneseIm

perialForce?

Wha

t w

as J

apan

’s m

otiv

atio

n fo

r en

terin

g th

e war?WhichcountrieshadtheJapaneseIm

perial

Forc

e su

cces

sful

ly o

ccup

ied

prio

r to

the

ir la

ndin

g inTimor?

Wha

t w

ere

the

met

hods

use

d to

rec

ruit

men

for

theAIF?HowwereAIFtrainedmenselectedfor

the

first

Inde

pend

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Com

pani

es in

clud

ing

the

2/2ndcommandos?

2

Wes

tern

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Mus

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2:

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exp

erie

nces

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ustr

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urin

g W

orld

War

II

Des

crib

e th

e sk

ills

and

war

fare

em

ploy

ed b

y th

e 2/

2nd

to

atta

ck a

n ar

my

of a

sig

nific

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gre

ater

num

ber

of s

oldi

ers.

Exp

lain

the

sig

nific

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the

supp

ort

rece

ived

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the

2/2n

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mm

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s fr

om t

he E

ast

Tim

ores

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r ef

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agai

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Out

line

the

diff

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t w

eapo

ns a

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orm

s of

com

mun

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tech

nolo

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he 2

/2nd

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man

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how

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se

cont

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eir

surv

ival

.

Des

crib

e ho

w t

he 2

/2nd

com

man

dos

felt

whe

n th

ey w

ere

info

rmed

th

at t

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coul

d no

t br

ing

thei

r cr

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o A

ustr

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the

m.

3

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orld

War

II to

Aus

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in

tern

atio

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elat

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hips

in th

e 20

th c

entu

ry

How

did

the

Dut

ch P

ortu

gues

e re

spon

d to

the

pre

senc

e of

Aus

tral

ian

commandosintheircountryduringWorldWarII?

Wha

t w

as t

he s

igni

fican

ce o

f A

ustr

alia

’s c

ontr

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to t

he

Inte

rnat

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ce f

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ast

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or (I

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T) d

urin

g th

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olen

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EastTimorin1999?

Wha

t w

as t

he f

ate

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he E

ast

Tim

ores

e fo

llow

ing

the

with

draw

al o

f Australiansoldiersin1943?

Des

crib

e th

e co

nflic

t of

inte

rest

bet

wee

n A

ustr

alia

and

Eas

t Ti

mor

re

gard

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the

Tim

or G

ap T

reat

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plai

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embe

rs o

f th

e 2/

2nd

Inde

pend

ent

Com

pany

wer

e ou

trag

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is a

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hat

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igat

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ange

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In 1

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onou

r –

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t C

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ast

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min

es t

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hero

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e co

mm

ando

s an

d th

e si

gnifi

canc

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the

sup

port

Aus

tral

ian

rece

ived

fr

om t

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ast

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ores

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Stud

ent H

istor

ical

Inqu

iry P

roce

ss•ReadthroughtheOpen-endedInquiryQuestionslistedoverleaftoensureyouare

fam

iliar

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the

the

mes

hig

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r ex

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fact

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rmat

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resp

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leas

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te t

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nee

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me

from

mul

tiple

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in t

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xhib

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ay.

•Informationgatheredforyourresponsescanbeusedforfollow-upbackatschool.

Hist

oric

al In

quiry

Tas

k:

Ope

n-en

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Que

stio

ns

Priv

ate

Jack

Wic

ks f

rom

Bas

send

ean

Wes

tern

Aus

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ia w

ith h

is c

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Dam

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Aus

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the

exhi

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at d

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the

cha

in o

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ents

tha

t le

d to

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spea

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Inte

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ce f

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ast

Tim

or (I

NTE

RFE

T) t

o co

ntai

n th

e vi

olen

ce

in T

imor

-Les

te in

199

9. E

xpla

in h

ow t

he p

rese

nce

of A

ustr

alia

n tr

oops

was

per

ceiv

ed

as a

‘par

tial p

aym

ent’

of

the

debt

ow

ed f

rom

the

sup

port

giv

en b

y th

e E

ast

Tim

ores

e to

A

ustr

alia

n so

ldie

rs in

Wor

ld W

ar II

.

•Explain

how

the

ent

win

ed h

isto

ry o

f A

ustr

alia

and

Eas

t Ti

mor

(Tim

or-L

este

) de

mon

stra

tes

elem

ents

of

cont

inui

ty a

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hang

e. W

hat

do y

ou t

hink

has

rem

aine

d th

e samebetweenthesetwocountriesandhowhavethingschangedsinceWorldWarII?

Whatdoyoupredictforthefuture?Explainyourpredictions.

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iffer

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tact

ics

2/2n

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crea

se t

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Tim

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cam

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com

mun

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ply

logi

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edic

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sour

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onou

r ex

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•Examine

the

varie

ty o

f pr

opag

anda

dis

play

ed in

the

Deb

t of

Hon

our

exhi

bitio

n (r

ecru

itmen

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ster

s, n

ewsr

eel,

surr

ende

r no

tes,

car

toon

s, p

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lets

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xpla

in

how

the

var

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med

ia e

mpl

oyed

wou

ld h

ave

incr

ease

d su

ppor

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r an

Alli

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vict

ory.

Com

men

t on

the

ste

reot

ypes

inhe

rent

in t

he p

ropa

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a us

ed. H

ow d

o yo

u th

ink

thes

e st

rate

gies

influ

ence

d th

e at

titud

es o

f in

divi

dual

s ba

ck a

t ho

me

and

of

thoseinEastTimor?

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the

layo

ut o

f th

e D

ebt

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onou

r ex

hibi

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Iden

tify

and

desc

ribe

how

cur

ator

s an

d de

sign

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ach

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e fo

llow

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atin

g a

moo

d, t

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chro

nolo

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l st

ory,

hig

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g pa

rtic

ular

eve

nts

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divi

dual

s, a

nd d

ispl

ayin

g ar

tefa

cts.

•Examine

the

diff

eren

t pe

rspe

ctiv

es in

here

nt

in t

he D

ebt

of H

onou

r ex

hibi

tion.

How

ar

e th

e A

ustr

alia

ns a

nd t

he E

ast

Tim

ores

e portrayed?Howdoesthiscom

paretohow

theJapaneseareportrayed?Whatsources

and

evid

ence

are

em

ploy

ed t

o su

ppor

t

theseinterpretations?

•Identify

the

prim

ary

and

seco

ndar

y so

urce

s di

spla

yed

in t

he D

ebt

of H

onou

r ex

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H

ow u

sefu

l do

you

thin

k th

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sour

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for

evok

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empa

thy

in v

isito

rs w

ho a

tten

d theexhibition?

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hich

thr

ee t

hem

es p

rese

nted

in t

he

Deb

t of

Hon

our

exhi

bitio

n yo

u th

ink

are

the

mos

t im

port

ant

for

the

Aus

tral

ian

gene

ral

publ

ic t

o be

com

e fa

mili

ar w

ith. E

xpla

in

why

you

fee

l thi

s w

ay a

nd w

hat

evid

ence

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ava

ilabl

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bac

k up

you

r cl

aim

s. H

ow

wou

ld y

ou c

omm

unic

ate

your

tho

ught

s to

thenation?

Wes

tern

Aus

tral

ian

Mus

eum

Deb

t of

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our:

Open-endedQuestions

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Post Visit Extension Activities

The following tasks have been created for students to further demonstrate their historical inquiry skills on the theme of Australian commandos in East Timor. Choose the tasks that are best suited to your class:

Australia and East Timor Entwined TASK: Time Line of Continuity and Change

The bonds of friendship forged between Australia and East Timor during World War II has endured through a long and entwined history between our two countries. Research the events that occurred in Australia and East Timor during each of the following years:

1942 1975 1999 2002 2005

Explain the significant links between these two countries at these times indicating the event or controversy that occurred at each time point. Forecast what impact these events could have for future alliances between Australia and Timor-Leste.

Proganda and Documentation of War TASK: Investigation Report on the Historical Accuracy of the film: Men of Timor

Oscar-winning film maker Damien Parer was appointed as the official movie photographer to the AIF in World War II. He spent over two weeks with the men of the 2/2nd in November 1942 and recorded their daily life and raid techniques. Watch Parer’s movie Men of Timor and reflect on the language used toward the Japanese and the local Timorese.

Select three themes of the Timor Campaign to compare what you know from your research with how accurately these are depicted in Damien Parer’s Men of Timor, i.e., type of warfare practiced by the 2/2nd, interaction between commandos and the East Timorese, living conditions and terrain endured…etc. Conclude with your informed opinion about whether Parer’s Men of Timor was an accurate depiction of the Australian commando experiences.

Evacuation and Desertion of Mates TASK: Empathetic Response - Written Letter

By November 1942, many of the 2/2nd commandos had became sick and exhausted. Some soldiers were incapable of fighting. Food was desperately short and the local people were starving. A phased withdrawal of troops and European civilians commenced. Many commandos requested that their criado be evacuated with them but last minute orders from Australia stated that the cridaos had to remain in East Timor. This caused great distress and anger in the soldiers, who felt it was a deep betrayal of their loyal companions.

Imagine you are a soldier of the 2/2nd. Write a letter to a friend or a family member about the evacuation experience from East Timor back to Australia. Describe the events of the evacuation, reflect on the tough living conditions and the guerrilla fighting style endured during your time in East Timor and explain how you felt when your criado was denied evacuation and what you intend to do to honour the debt that has occurred.



Soldier Profiles TASK: Soldier Profile Power Point Presentation

While all men who served in the 2/2nd fought under extreme conditions, many historical accounts highlight the innovation and tenacity of particular individuals.

Select two 2/2nd commandos and find out about their contribution to the war effort and include details such as:

• Name

• Date of Birth

• Home Town - Map

• Date they joined the AIF

• Photos

• Reveal what their military appointment was (i.e., engineer, cavalry, artillery, medical, signals, survey…etc) and what skills were reqired for their role.

• Time of service in East Timor (i.e., the date arrived to the date they were evacuated)

• Describe their innovation or bravery and the circumstances in which this was demonstrated.

• Reveal if they were awarded decorations, or if they did not receive any, which ones you think they should have received and explain why.

• Explain why you chose to investigate them and what you admire about their character.

Capt David Dexter’s A Platoon 2/2nd Independent company in Northern Territory after returning from Timor in December 1942.

Original source unknown. Featured in Cyril Aryis, All the Bulls Men, 2006

Onlinehttp://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_13313second_world_war/

http://doublereds.org.au

http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/japadvance/timor.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2/2nd_Commando_Squadron_(Australia)

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/aaw/

YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nql3fIKZ9BI

Men of Timor Newsreel by Damien Parer about the Sparrow Force commando campaign in Timor during 1942. This was the first good news in 1942 after many disastrous defeats in the Pacific.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQPv2H4qblU&feature=relmfu

Ray Aitken of the 2/2 Independent Company of Sparrow Force describing his hunt of Japan’s most decorated soldier - the Singapore Tiger - who was sent to Timor in 1942 to raise morale in the Japanese Army and eliminate Sparrow Force.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPc6X3c75kk

Interview with the late Paddy Kenneally of the 2/2nd Independent Company describing a raid by several commandos in the capital of East Timor, Dili in 1942.

DVDsA Debt of Honour – Let’s Play Productions

Timor - Tour of Duty – Film by Sasha Uzunov

BooksAyris, C, All the Bull’s men: no. 2 Australian Independent Company (2/2nd Commando Squadron). (2006).

Callinan, B, Independent Company; the 2/2 and 2/4 Australian Independent Companies in Portugese Timor 1941–1943, William Heinemann Ltd, London. (1953).

Campbell, A, The double reds of Timor, Swanbourne. (1995).

Cleary, P, The men who came out of the ground: a gripping account of Australia’s first commando campaign: Timor 1942, Hachette Australia, Sydney (2010).

Collins, P, Strike Swiftly – The Australian Commando Story, Watermark Press, Sydney. (2005).

Doig, C, A history of the 2nd Independent Company and 2/2 Commando Squadron, Self-published. (1986).

Marshal, A, Yes...There is life besides cricket! A&L Printers, Bunbury. (2002).

Wray, C, Timor 1942: Australian commandos at war with the Japanese, Hutchinson Australia, Melbourne. (1987).

White, K, Criado: a story of East Timor, Indra Publishing, Briar Hill, Vic. (2002).

Resources


Secondary Schools Teacher Resource

Documents