At the hands of the Japanese Army, there were thousands of people who suffered during the
Second World War. It’s believed that up to 14 million civilians were executed and killed by
the actions of the Japanese during world war 2, and many Allied airmen and prisoners of war
also suffered greatly. Many men who became POWs inside of Japanese captivity were a shadow of
their former selves after they were starved and were forced to conduct back breaking labour on
projects such as the Burma railway. But there were many allied soldiers who were executed in
horrific scenes at the hands of the Japanese, and they often used medieval style executions to take
the lives of 20th century men. One of those who suffered greatly was Leonard Siffleet, a young
Australian commando who was captured and then handed over to the Japanese. But his story is one
which is horrific and deserves to be remembered. Join us today as we look at the execution of
Leonard Siffleet, and as always to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
Leonard Siffleet was born on the 14th January 1916 in Gunnedah New South Wales.
He was raised alongside two brothers and a sister,
and in the late 1930s he moved to Sydney and he sought a career inside of the police force.
However despite this being his dream, he was not allowed to join the police due to poor eyesight.
However his life would then go down a different path as the Second World War broke out.
Australia joined the conflict on the 3rd September 1939 following the acceptance
of the UK’s declaration of war on Nazi Germany. Before the war the country had suffered from the
Great Depression, and this lead to a decrease in military spending. The Australian Army was made
up of 3000 permanent soldiers and 80,000 part time militia men who volunteered for training.
It was this that Leonard Siffleet was called up for, and he was called up to
the militia in August 1940. He for a short time worked as part of a searchlight unit
based at the RAAF station Richmond. But after three months he was discharged,
and he returned home to his family as they were struck by the death of his mother. He now had
to help raise his younger brothers, and to help pay for their life he worked as a shop assistant.
But whilst in this role he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in September 1941. He
was based yet again in a signals company but his discipline was not always amazing, as he would be
reported twice as absent without leave, and it’s believed he may have been visiting his fiancee.
He continued to train in radio communications, but this time at college and he volunteered
for extra duties and in particular in September 1942 he was transferred to
the Services Reconaissance Department of the Allied Intelligence Bureau based in Melbourne.
He then was assigned to Z special Unit, and was sent to Cairns for further training.
It was clear that his role inside of the Air Force would take him to very dangerous places, and he
was assigned as a radio operator and promoted to Sergeant in May 1945. However he was then based
outside australia at this point, as he moved to M Special unit and took part in missions setting up
a coast watching station in hills in Hollandia in Netherlands New Guinea. In this role he was
described as ‘the best type of NCO and young and competent,’ and he was a skilled man in his role.
But then he was drafted in to a group led by Sergeant Staverman of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Part of this group were two Indonesian privates, and they were to work alongside
another group in Operation Whiting, conducting reconaissance. Siffleet’s groups mission began in
north east New Guinea, and they tracked across the mountainous terrain through August and September.
Siffleet’s group was split up at some point as they explored the countryside, and they
were ambushed by natives. Staverman and Private Pattiwal were reported as killed,
but Pattiwal did escape and rejoined Siffleet. Leonard Siffleet was now practically in
control of the group which consisted of Pattiwal and another private Reharing,
surrounded by natives who were hostile to them. They must have known the danger of their mission,
and now Siffleet had to try and communicate with the other group, and he managed to warn
them of hostile natives and of Japanese patrols in the area. He was ready to destroy and hide
his radio and equipment, but from October 1943 nothing more was heard from the group. Leonard
Siffleet’s fiancee had heard that he was safe and well, however this was not to be the case.
The group had tried to make their way to the Dutch border, but during this they were subjected to a
huge ambush. Around 100 hostile native villagers near to Aitupe attacked Siffleet and the two
Indonesian privates. During the skirmish, Siffleet shot and wounded one of the attackers,
but they were quickly over-run and they were then handed over to the Japanese.
Leonard Siffleet must have known that he would be subjected to harsh and terrible
treatment at the hands of the enemy, and this is exactly what happened.
He was interrogated and tortured heavily, and he spent two weeks inside of confinement.
There was no attempt to rescue Leonard Siffleet and the others, and on the afternoon of the
24th November 1943 Sifleet along with the two other men was taken to Aitape Beach.
The beach was filled with hundreds of natives and Japanese soldiers who had
been gathered by the Japanese to witness the horrific executions of Siffleet and
the other men. Vice Admiral Michiaki Kamada of the Imperial Japanese Navy had ordered the executions,
and it was executioner and officer Yasuno Chikao who would be the man to execute Leonard Siffleet,
the 27 year old Australian signal operator and transmitter. Chikao was photographed performing
the execution, and there were various accounts after the war about the executioner’s fate,
as some said he died during the conflict, but others said he was captured by the Allies and
was then sentenced to be executed, but instead was imprisoned for 10 years.
However on the beach-head, Leonard Siffleet was led out in front of the locals, and he
had been bound and blindfolded. He has been secured around his middle, and he was wearing
a black blindfold to ensure he did not see what happened. The guards stood around were armed,
and the locals gazed on as if they were watching a medieval or Tudor execution during the reign of
brutal kings such as Henry VIII. It was almost sport to them. Leonard Siffleet was kneeling
above his grave, with the executioner stood over him with his sword raised high above his head.
The officer Chikao then brought down the weapon and Siffleet was executed in brutal fashion.
The execution was truly sadistic, but it was one which was performed by the Japanese on a number
of different occasions upon Allied airmen and allied prisoners of war. The photograph of the
execution was actually discovered on the body of a killed Japanese major after it was distributed.
The American soldiers then had it pubished in Australian newspapers, and also in Life magazine.
For many years it was believed that the man in the picture was
Bill Newton who was also captured and executed in the same manner.
However later identifications of Sifleet in the image took place.
Leonard Siffleet’s execution was one which was incredibly brutal, but it was a number
carried out by sword during the Second World War at the hands of the Japanese forces.
Two Japanese officers even had a race using their swords as to who could execute
100 people the quickest. This contest was even publicised in Japanese media and the newspapers,
and it’s believed that most of the victims were actually civilians who were brutally killed.
But Leonard Siffleet as a prisoner of war should have been treated better, but he was made to await
his execution for two weeks in hellish conditions, and under constant torture. The image of his
execution summed up the evil of the Japanese Army during the Second World War and how horrific their
crimes were against prisoners of war. Very few would ever pay for these crimes, and only a few
select generals were brought to justice at the end of the conflict for their crimes against humanity.
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