> Following footsteps : Operation Jaywick The Promise > One 60-minute television documentary with the potential to grow into a full series Four men retrace the steps of the members of Z Special Unit 75 years after a daring raid on Japanese shipping in Singapore A mixture of history and reality television
The ingredients > The true story of Z Special Unit and Operation Jaywick Four men follow the footsteps of Z Special Unit The true story of what happened, and its legacy
This is a true story > In September 1943, 14 British and Australian commandos from Z Special Unit set sail in a 21-metre Japanese fishing boat from Western Australia as part of Operation Jaywick. Staining their skin to disguise themselves as Asian fishermen, they plot a daring course through the Indonesian archipelago, dodging and weaving through seas infested with enemy Japanese warships and patrol boats. Then, after reaching a small island off Batam, to the south of Singapore, six of their number then board collapsable canoes and launch a daring raid on Japanese shipping in the waters off Singapore. It is thought that their efforts resulted in the sinking of seven Japanese ships before they returned by the same route to Australia without one life lost from their number. But this is not just a story about British and Australians. This is also about the suffering of the Singapore population following Operation Jaywick. The Japanese army, unaware such an audacious attack could be launched from as far away as Australia, began a bloody crack-down to flush out the perpetrators, resulting in executions, tortures and arrests in an operation which came to be known as the Double Tenth since it began on the 10th of October 1943.
Celebrating the 75th anniversary of Operation Jaywick > For the 75th anniversary of the bravery and sacrifices of Operations Jaywick and Double Tenth, a team of four Singapore expats plan to follow in Operation Jaywick s footsteps to raise money for charity. Beginning from the island of Pulau Subar, off the coast of Batam, the four will retrace the 50km route paddled by the members of Z Special Unit, into Singapore s harbour, then back again to Batam. It will be a journey showing the amazing feat in modern terms, taking four overweight, average men and pitting their wits against heroes of World War II. Will they make it all the way? Who knows, but the real story is in the appreciation of extraordinary feat Operation Jaywick s members achieved.
Programme structure >
Chapter 1 > Operation Jaywick Location(s): Singapore expressways, Kranji War Memorial Cemetery We begin in a car. The members of the four-man commemoration team are driving through Singapore, across the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, past the city s tall buildings and its harbour. Then along the expressway, past jungles and all the way to the Kranji War Memorial Cemetery. Throughout the journey, the voice-over of the team leader tells us briefly about Operation Jaywick and how they intend to retrace that World War II mission s journey in canoes, from an island off Batam, into the Singapore harbour and then back again. It is a 50km journey, and one which they are not sure they can even accomplish, even with the help of technology never available to the original members of Operatin Jaywick. They reach the Kranji War Memorial Cemetery and find the grave of Operation Jaywick s leader, Captain Ivan Lyon. As they stand by the grave, the team take turns telling each other why they want to retrace Operation Jaywick s path and what meaning such an expedition has. Chapter 2 > War Location(s): Singapore National Museum The team leader goes to meet with a World War II historian from the Singapore National Museum. There, the historian tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Singapore, then introduces us to the Kofuku Maru. The Kofuku Maru, he explains, was a Japanese fishing boat commandeered by the British at the outbreak of World War II. It was used at first to evacuate people from Singapore, then helped save survivors of ships sunk by the Japanese off the eastern coast of Sumatra. He tells us that over 1100 people were saved by the Kofuku Maru and delivered to India before it sailed back to Australia where it was given to the military and renamed the Krait after a deadly Asian snake. It was that boat which would carry the members of Operation Jaywick.
Chapter 3 > Planning Location(s): Kallang River The commemoration team meet at the rowing centre at the Kallang River in Singapore. The team leader outlines their proposed expedition, and shows them maps of the route they are going to take. They then look over the canoes and equipment they have and compare them to what the members of Operation Jaywick had. The team leader also explains that they will be doing the journey in daylight, while Operation Jaywick was accomplished in the dark. At the end of this segment, we watch the team training in their canoes for the expedition. Chapter 4 > Z Special Unit Location(s): Old Ford Factory Museum The team leader meets with another historian, at Singapore s Old Ford Factory Museum, where we learn more about the history of Operation Jaywick. The location is important because it depicts the Japanese occupation of Singapore. In that space, the historian tells us what the Z Special Unit of the Australian military was and how the plan for Operation Jaywick came about. Then he tells us of the amazing journey the Krait took: First from Thursday Island off the tip of Queensland in Australia; then to the Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia; then through the Indonesian archipelago, dodging Japanese patrol boats while the crew of Caucasians disguised themselves as Asian fishermen by staining their skin. Finally, he tells us the place where the Krait s journey ended, on an island near the coast of Batam. It was from there that they would launch their raid.
Chapter 5 > The day Location(s): Pulau Subar, Straits of Singapore The day of the expedition has arrived and the commemoration team arrive at Pulau Subar, off the coast of Batam. They take some time to look around and imagine what it must have been like for soldiers being there, in the heart of enemy territory. They then have one last team talk before heading out in their canoes to make their journey. Chapter 6 > The night Location(s): Labrador Park, Straits of Singapore From Labrador Park, which affords views of the area where the Japanese ships were sunk, our historian from Chapter 4 tells us the story about what happened on the night of Operation Jaywick September 26/27, 1943. As he speaks, we cut away several times to footage of the commemoration team making their journey. The historian tells us that there were three teams of two men each in collapsable canoes and he shows us the route they took on a map, where the Japanese boats were, and how the commandos attached limpet mines to sink seven ships. At the end of this part, his voice-over tells us about the explosions the members of Operation Jaywick heard as they departed. And we see the members of the commemoration team taking a moment to look back at Singapore, imagining those explosions, as they return to Batam.
Chapter 7 > Safely home Location(s): Pulau Subar We watch our commemoration team paddle their canoes and arrive back at the island off the coast of Batam. They are exhausted. A voice-over from the team leader tells us how hard it was as we see vision of the event. Then, as they sit and tell us some stories of what happened, they also reflect on the fact that the members of Operation Jaywick still had to contend with the danger of returning the way they came, in the Krait, all the way back to Australia. Chapter 8 > The aftermath Location(s): Singapore National Museum The team leader goes to visit with the historian from the National Museum of Singapore again. He tells the historian about their journey, then the historian tells him about the aftermath of Operation Jaywick and how the Japanese launched their own Operation named Double Tenth. The Double-Tenth, he explains, was so-named because it began on the 10th of October following Operation Jaywick. The Japanese were convinced that such a raid could not have been launched from Australia, so they set off on raids of arrests, torture and executions involving Chinese, Malays and interned POWs and Europeans. The historian ends by telling us that while Operation Jaywick was a big success, it has a rather sad ending.
Chapter 9 > Changi Chapel Location(s): Changi Chapel The commemoration team visit the Changi Chapel to look over the war photos and memorabilia from prisoners of war at the famous prison camp. Each one talks about their journey, what it meant to them, and why such expeditions are so important. We then end with post-script titles detailing what happened to each of the 6 members of Operation Jaywick who carried out the bombings, and also the details of ships sunk and deaths from Operation Double Tenth.
Potential and Viewership >
Series potential > Following footsteps Following footsteps: Operation Jaywick is one 60-minute television documentary. However, it has the ability to be expanded into a full series of shows showing teams of everyday people following in the footsteps of amazing feats of bravery and endurance during World War II in Southeast Asia. Some ideas for future shows of Following footsteps could cover: > The Borneo Death March Following the route of the forced marches of Allied POWs at the end of World War II. Viewership > Because of its subject matter, the viewership for Following footsteps: Operation Jaywick and the resulting series has the potential of attracting viewers not just in Southeast Asia, but worldwide in countries which the stories told are still significant. Operation Jaywick, for example, tells the stories of British and Australian servicemen as well as Singaporeans. And if we explore further the potential audiences of the Following footsteps series, this list could also include countries not just of Southeast Asia, but all the countries of World War II s Allied forces, including the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. > The Kokoda Trail Following the route of Australian soldiers fighting along the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea. > The Battle for Myitkyina Following the route of the US army s celebrated Merrill s Marauders across Burma s Kumon mountain range to take the vital airstrip of Myitkyina.
Your contact > James Rotheram Hurrah Productions E: james.rotheram@hurrahproductions.tv T: (65) 8268 6925 W: www.hurrahproductions.tv