OTWAY, Frederick Alfred
| Service Number: | WX12171 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 May 1941, Claremont, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/2nd Independent Company / Cavalry Commando Squadron |
| Born: | Pingelly, Western Australia, 3 September 1920 |
| Home Town: | Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Painter |
| Died: | Natural causes (stroke), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 3 April 2018, aged 97 years |
| Cemetery: |
Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens & Crematorium, Queensland |
| Memorials: | Broome Z Special Unit Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 2 May 1941: | Enlisted Private, WX12171, Claremont, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, WX12171 | |
| 1 Jan 1944: | Involvement Sergeant, WX12171, Z Special Unit | |
| 11 Apr 1946: | Discharged Sergeant, WX12171, 2nd/2nd Independent Company / Cavalry Commando Squadron | |
| 11 Apr 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, WX12171 |
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"...The other surviving second-second member, Fred Otway, said the news about his company's guerilla war provided a huge morale boost to Australia during its darkest hour. "When we made contact they didn't believe it, they thought we were all wiped out," he said. "[US General Douglas] MacArthur made us an object of morale to the rest of Australia. "This Japanese juggernaut had come through Hong Kong, Singapore, Ambon, they were unstoppable — here was a little group of Australians that stopped them.
"We were the only ones that stopped them. "Why were we so successful was we made friends with the natives." In August 1942, the Japanese launched an all-out offensive to wipe out the Australians but they took just three casualties. "We had to fight or die. They had us pretty well surrounded," Mr Otway said. "We only had 275 fighting men, the rest were sick, malaria, dysentery. We killed about 700-800 of them. "The reason the Japs pulled out [of the offensive was] because of so many casualties." - By The Australian's Paul Cleary - READ MORE LINK (www.abc.net.au)
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