World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseLeonard George Siffleet was born in 1916 and joined the Australian military as a militia in Aug 1940. Between Aug 1940 and Nov 1940, he served with a searchlight unit at RAAF Station Richmond northwest of Sydney, Australia. After a break from the militia for several months (to take care of his younger siblings after the death of his mother), he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in Sep 1941. He served with a signals company based at Ingleburn, New South Wales, Australia while receiving training in radio communications at Melbourne Technical College. Upon completion of his training, he volunteered to join the Services Reconnaissance Department of the Allied Intelligence Bureau in Melbourne, Australia in Sep 1942. In the following month, he was transferred to Cairns, Queensland, Australia with the Z Special Unit. In May 1943, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Later in the same month, he was transferred to M Special Unit, which was destined for the island of New Guinea. His unit landed in New Guinea in Jul 1943, and he was ultimately captured by the Japanese some time in Oct 1943. He was executed by beheading at Aitape, New Guinea in the afternoon of 24 Oct 1943 at the hands of Yasuno Chikao. A photo of the execution was found on the body of a killed Japanese major near Hollandia, New Guinea in Apr 1944, and it had since been widely circulated.

Photographs

Leonard Siffleet Timeline