Alexander Spence (soldier)
| Alexander Spence | |
|---|---|
HQ staff from the 2/2nd Independent Company, an Australian Army commando unit during the Second World War, December 1942. Timor. LTCOL Alexander Spence is the first on the left.
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| Born | 5 February 1906 Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia |
| Allegiance |
 Australia
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| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Major (Temporary Lieutenant Colonel) |
| Commands held |
2/2nd Independent Company |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order |
2/2nd Independent Company
2/12th Commando Squadron
Alexander Spence DSO (born 5 February 1906, in Bundaberg, Queensland) was an Australian Army officer during World War II. Between 24 May and 11 November 1942, Spence commanded Allied forces during their guerrilla campaign in Timor.
Spence, who had been a journalist and had served in the Militia before the war, volunteered for overseas duty with the Second Australian Imperial Force on 25 June 1940, at Miowera, Queensland.
A major, he was originally posted to the 2/26th Battalion, but was posted away from the unit to the commandos before the battalion embarked on its ill-fated deployment to Singapore. He was later appointed commander of the 2/2nd Independent Company, a commando unit, and went with it as part of Sparrow Force to Dutch Timor in 1941. The 2/2nd and Dutch forces were despatched to occupy Portuguese Timor in December 1941, when it was anticipated that Japanese forces would invade. Spence and his men enjoyed good relations with most of the local population, and prepared for a prolonged guerrilla campaign.
Although the Japanese had the element of surprise, when they invaded on 19 February 1942, the Allied garrison began an orderly retreat, covered by an 18-strong Australian section stationed at Dili airfield. The section managed to kill an estimated 200 Japanese in the first hours of the battle. Another section was less fortunate, driving by chance into a Japanese roadblock. Although they surrendered, it is believed that all but one were massacred.
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