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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 4, 2008 14:21:47 GMT 12
I note in today's New Zealand Herald death notices a Ross Bremner Shakes, service number NZ412556 who was a Sergeant in the RNZAF (service 1941-46) bu he was also seconded into Z Special Unit SOE according to one notice and also in another notice it says 1NZSAS Gp 'Z Special Unit'.
Does anyone know would he have been seconded to these units on flying duties or was he a ground commando/spy?
Sounds like an interesting chap, I hope someone has recorded his story somewhere.
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Post by angelsonefive on Oct 9, 2008 20:51:07 GMT 12
Z Special Unit, also known as Z Force and ZSU, was an Aussie organisation that
carried out commando-like operations in the Japanese occupied territories
north-west of Australia. Timor for example.
As far as I know NZ SAS had its beginnings in the mid-fifties. Still a possibility, I guess.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 9, 2008 21:20:19 GMT 12
Interesting.
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Post by phasselgren on Oct 10, 2008 5:05:30 GMT 12
From New Zealand´s Secret Heroes by Gabriella McDonald
"Sergeant Ross Shakes
Enlisted in the RNZAF as a radio mechanic with previous experience. Following training at Wigram, he was sent to United Kingdom on attachment to the RAF for advanced training on radar. Posted to an operational radar station at East Fife, from where he was recruited in May 1942 by the Special Operations Executive, London, as a radio communications specialist. Volunteered for service abroad, arriving at Meeret, north of Delhi, December 1942. Served with ME9, ME25 and force 136 SEAC. These units were controlled by SOE London as a part of its world-wide operational intelligence activities. Following furlough leave in New Zealand he traveled to Melbourne on the Akaroa, being seconded to ´Z`Special Unit, SRD. Was flown to Morotai in the Halaheras, then to Zamboanga and Tarakan to the advance base of Labuan Island, Brunei Bay, Borneo which was captured by the Australian 9th Division on 10 June 1945. His responsibilities at this location were to maintain technical lines of communications with the operatives of ´Z´in the interior of British North Borneo and Sarawak until all Japanese resistance ceased after the surrender document was signed."
A few of the operatives mentioned were New Zealanders. Four of them was killed or went missing in this area.
This book lists a total of 21 New Zealanders that joined ´Z`Special Unit .
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 10, 2008 8:59:24 GMT 12
Wow, thank you Peter, such an interesting career. I'll have to track down that book for a look.
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Post by phasselgren on Oct 13, 2008 5:21:01 GMT 12
The book is interesting but don´t expect much more about Ross Shakes. Part One is the story of Don Stott and begins with his sabotage operations in Greece. It continues to tell how Don joined the ´Z`Special unit and was lost on his first operation.
Part Two is about how the ´Z`Special unit was created and the experiences of the New Zealander Frank Wigzell. He lived with a group of Iban Headhunters behind Japanese lines on Borneo 1945. It has a list of the known NZ members of this unit.
Frank (or Francis Alexander) has written New Zealand Army Involvement, Special Operations Australia and this book is like Part Two of the other book but with a lot more details.
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