The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
MELBOURNE, AUS. THE WIRELESS SET - KNOWN AFFECTIONATELY BY THE COMMANDOS WHO FOUGHT IN TIMOR IN 1942, AS WINNIE THE WAR WINNER, AN EXHIBIT AT THE AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL, CANBERRA. FIGHTING AS GUERILLAS AGAINST OVERWHELMING ODDS AND DEFICIENT IN SUPPLIES AND OUT OF TOUCH WITH AUSTRALIA, IT WAS IMPERATIVE FOR THE SMALL FORCE TO REESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE MAINLAND AND IT WAS FOR THIS PURPOSE THAT MEN OF THE 2/2ND AUSTRALIAN INDEPENDENT COMPANY, THE FORTRESS SIGNALS SECTION ON THE ISLAND, AND MEMBERS OF SIGNALS, 8TH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION, POOLED THEIR RESOURCES TO BUILD A SET CAPABLE OF RAISING DARWIN. AFTER MANY TRIALS AND MUCH REVISION, AUSTRALIA WAS CONTACTED ON THE 1942-04-18, AND DARWIN WAS MADE AWARE THAT THE AUSTRALIANS IN TIMOR WERE STILL ALIVE AND FIGHTING.
The hut at Mape, Portuguese Timor, used by the signals section, Force Headquarters, 2/2 Independent Company. It was here that the famous transmitter Winnie the war-winner, a masterpiece of improvisat
Hand made transceiver set which was constructed from parts obtained from a commercial Portuguese wireless set, parts from a 101 and 109 Australian Wireless sets, and salvaged parts from the demolished
Soon after the Japanese moved into Timor, the Australians were without communications to the mainland and under the direction of a young technician TX4745 Signalman (Sig) Max Lyndon Loveless built a w
Mapa was at one stage the Headquarters of Lancer Force during the guerilla operations against the Japanese on Timor in 1942. A radio was manufactured from scraps and odds and ends by Signaller Loveles
TAI BESSI, PORTUGUESE TIMOR 1945-12-24. IN THIS BUILDING, LIEUTENANT J. GARNET, 2/2ND INDEPENDENT COMPANY, MET PORTUGUESE NATIONALS DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION. TO GARNET GOES THE CREDIT FOR THE "I
MAPE, PORTUGUESE TIMOR 1945-12-12. IT WAS IN THIS AREA THAT THE 2/2ND INDEPENDENT COMPANY HAD ITS FORCE HEADQUARTERS FROM APRIL TO AUGUST 1942 AND WHERE SPARROW FORCE FIRST MADE CONTACT WITH AUSTRALIA
