2 / 2nd Commando Squadron ( Australia ) The 2 / 2nd Commando Squadron was one of 12 independent companies or commando squadrons raised by the Australian Army for service during World War II . The 2 / 2nd served in Timor , New Guinea and New Britain during World War II , taking part in the Battle of Timor in June 1942 as part of Sparrow Force . Following the capture of the island , the company was withdrawn in December 1942 and returned to Australia , later taking part in operations in New Guinea in 1943 – 44 and then on New Britain in 1945 . History . Formation . Initially formed as the " 2nd Independent Company " , the unit was raised in 1941 . With an authorised strength of 17 officers , 256 other ranks , it undertook training at the Guerrilla Warfare Camp at Foster , on Wilsons Promontory , Victoria . After training the company was transported north to Katherine , Northern Territory , where they were stationed until Japan entered the war following the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Malaya . Timor campaign . Amid fears of a Japanese advance towards mainland Australia , the 2nd Independent Company was sent to Timor , as part of Sparrow Force , along with the 2 / 40th Battalion and a small force of artillery . Upon arriving at Dili on 17 December 1941 , most of the 2nd Independent Company moved to protect Dili airfield in east Timor , whilst other elements took up positions in the nearby mountains . The Japanese invaded Timor on 20 February 1942 , attacking both east and west Timor at the same time , quickly overwhelming the small force of Australian and Dutch defenders . Hopelessly outnumbered the 2nd Independent Company was unable to hold the airfield and was forced retreat into to the mountains , from where they would wage a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese for over a year . After the fall of the island , it was believed that the 2nd Independent Company had been captured along with the 2 / 40th Battalion , and for almost three months the unit was officially listed as missing by the Australian Army . On 19 / 20 April 1942 , however , members of the unit were able to make contact with Darwin , using a wireless transmitter nicknamed " Winnie the War Winner " . " Winnie " , reputedly named after Winston Churchill was cobbled together by Signaller Max ( Joe ) Loveless , a Tasmanian member of the unit who had a background as an Amateur Radio Station Operator . The set was built on the back of a 4 gallon kerosene tin , using parts from several failed radio sets . Some parts were obtained via night raids into occupied enemy territory . After this , at great risk the Royal Australian Navy was able to bring in supplies for the company on the south coast of east Timor in late May , allowing the guerilla campaign to continue . During August , the Japanese launched a major offensive against the guerrillas and carried out a series of reprisals against the civilian population of east Timor in order to reduce their support for the Australians . This campaign was ultimately unsuccessful , although the local Timorese paid a high price for the assistance they provided the Australians and it is estimated that between 40 , 000 and 60 , 000 Timorese perished during the Japanese occupation . In September , in an effort to maintain the pressure on the Japanese , the 2nd Independent Company was reinforced with the landing of the 2 / 4th Australian Independent Company . By late - November 1942 however , it was clear that the Australians could not sustain their campaign due to extreme ill - health amongst all the men , and the ever - increasing number of Japanese reinforcements as well as reduced food supplies . Furthermore , the Japanese used increasing numbers of Dutch Timorese to wreak havoc among the Portuguese Timorese who then found it impossible to keep helping the Australians . As a result , both the 2 / 2 and 2 / 4 were withdrawn from Timor between mid - December 1942 and January 1943 , along with Portuguese civilians , some Dutch troops and Timorese who would later serve with Z Special Unit . Re - organisation . Upon return to Australia , the company , now renamed the " 2 / 2nd Independent Company " , reformed at the training centre at the Jungle Warfare School at Canungra , Queensland , where it was reinforced and re - equipped . The 2 / 2nd was relocated to the Atherton Tableland Camp , Atherton Tableland , where it briefly became part of the 2 / 6th Cavalry ( Commando ) Regiment , although this was short lived as it became an independent unit once again not long afterwards . As a part of this re - organisation , the company would eventually be renamed the " 2 / 2nd Commando Squadron " . New Guinea and New Britain campaigns . In June 1943 the 2 / 2nd sailed from Townsville to Port Moresby and was subsequently flown to Bena Bena , in the Bismarck Ranges in New Guinea . Here , the 2 / 2nd supported the 2 / 7th Independent Company in patrolling the Ramu River area . In mid - July , the 2 / 2nd moved into position in Bena Bena and by the end of the month their patrols were skirmishing with the Japanese . They would continue to conduct operations in New Guinea until October 1944 when , after being away from Australia for more than a year , the 2 / 2nd were withdrawn from the fighting for a period of leave in Australia . After three months leave , the 2 / 2nd Commando Squadron reformed at Strathpine , Queensland and began a period of training and re - organisation in preparation for their next campaign . In April 1945 , the unit embarked for New Britain , where they landed at Jacquinot Bay on 17 April and subsequently moved to Wide Bay , in order to support the 13th Brigade , attached to the 5th Division that was based at Lamarien . Following the end of hostilities in the Pacific in August 1945 , the 2 / 2nd Commando Squadron was deemed to be surplus to the post - war requirements of the Australian Army and as such it was steadily reduced in strength as men were discharged or transferred to other units . The remainder returned to Australia and in early 1946 the 2 / 2nd Commando Squadron was disbanded . During its service during the war , the 2 / 2nd lost 22 men killed in action or died on active service . Member ' s of the squadron received the following decorations : two DSOs , three MCs , one DCM , one MM , 35 MIDs and two foreign awards . Legacy . There are around 28 surviving members of the nearly 400 men who served in the 2 / 2nd . 14 of those are based in Western Australia from where 70 % of the original squadron originated . Since the end of the war , the 2 / 2nd Commando Association has operated a trust fund to benefit the Timorese people . Also some of its members have become advocates for the rights of Timorese , recognising the contribution that they had made during the war . One member , John Patrick " Paddy " Kenneally , who died in March 2009 at the age of 93 , said they would " . . . not have lasted a week had the Timorese not protected them " . Kenneally visited East Timor four times after World War II ; once in 1990 and a further three times after independence from Indonesia was achieved in 1999 . In 2005 , he appeared in TV ads promoting a fair deal for the people of East Timor in negotiations over Timor Sea gas and oil and was instrumental in securing a fair share of the gas field for the Timorese people . On 25 April 2008 Kenneally , two of his sons and one of his grandsons attended an ANZAC day service in East Timor , at a memorial overlooking Dili and built by veterans from the 2 / 2nd . Two other original members of the Timor Campaign , Alan Luby ( Medic ) and John Hartley NX78025 , visited East Timor during September 1995 with Gordon Hart ( 2 / 4 Australian Independent Company ) and made efforts to travel extensively through the mountain tracks and villages they had occupied in 1942 . The occupying Indonesian Army turned them back in many places , but these men , who were in their late 70s , managed to reunite with creados who had given such vital support in 1942 . They were also recognised and welcomed by many Timorese villagers as the famous men of 1942 as oral histories were passed on to younger generations . John Hartley came home to Australia and lamented that the Timorese had fared worse under Indonesian occupation than all the Japanese dished out between 1942 - 1945 . Commanding officers . The following officers commanded the 2 / 2nd during the war :