Half a century ago – almost to the day - Richard Harry Graves died on Wednesday 3rd February 1971.
Some unkind comments about him occur above.
Some of you do not ‘rate’ Richard Graves, or you consider that his, ‘… tales of rescue and his magic unit are exaggerations of the worst order’, or consider his experience and written works irrelevant to the jungle, or his Australian Jungle Training/Rescue Detachment a ‘misfit’ or even a mirage; not supported by ‘viable authority (?)’.
Please re-consider.
Official details of the origins, development and success of what evolved to be known as the Australian Jungle Training Detachment (AJTD) - including its important rescue role in NG, DNG and as far as the Philippines - are in the National Archives of Australia (NAA) at:
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=403485
The file is: Personnel for Junglecraft Training Lt R Graves, Capt Gillespie (Series: (AAA) MP742/1 CS 323/1/1437.
For simplicity, I will refer to this file as 403485 and its 39 pages as they are NAA numbered. For example, page 30 (P.30) is the - HQ Allied Air Forces SWPA Minute of 06 Oct 44 to Commanding General, USAFFE, headed Personnel for Junglecraft Training. Para 1 describes Graves as the leader of the detachment. Para 2 declares that his detachment, ‘…also served as jungle experts in parties sent out by the air rescue squadron’. Para 4 states, ‘ The services of these men has proved so valuable in junglecraft and rescue work, that the services of additional men are urgently required’.
Carefully read all of File 403485. It clearly documents Dick Graves as initiator and founding officer in charge/officer commanding (whatever) of the detachment/school from mid Jan 44 to 29 Dec 44 (P.31, P.21), after which his offsider Captain William Macintosh Gillespie took charge, until the detachment was formally wound up under ‘Mac’s command in 09 July 45 (P.8, para 1).
In late 1943, Dick Graves, after orchestrating a request from GHQ SWPA, persuaded the Director of Military Training (DMT), Australian LHQ to send him and six ORs to train US forces in NG (P.31, also note P.4, P.5). Graves and his team then trained in North Queensland for six weeks and left for 5th US AF Combat Training Center, Nadzab, NG on 30 Mar 44 to, ‘…to train personnel in survival in the jungle’ (P.31, para 2). The assignment was initially for 30 days but Graves was ‘rated’ highly by the yanks and he arranged numerous extensions and two expansions of the detachment. Importantly, he comprehensively documented the courses (much of his work, not seen in his bushcraft books, filtered into the Australian Army Survival Pamphlet 1967).
On 27 Jun 44, Graves again got DMT approval to recruit (P. 24, para 1 ‘to me’) – this time an additional 35 ORs and 1 officer (P.11) (Grave’s plan seemed to be for an offsider officer to take 15 of the team to Hollandia, as 5 US AF ops moved west). The offsider Graves chose was Capt ‘Mac’ Gillespie who arrived at Nadzab in late July and would serve with Graves in charge until 31 Dec 44, when Graves was classed Med Cat B1 (P.21, para ? (Graves engaged in several ‘Catalina hops’/missions that exacerbated a back condition and returned to Australia 08 Dec 44).
Some of the purists commenting above might baulk at the idea of Capt Gillespie serving under Lieutenant Graves, but the B25 / ‘Kais’ rescue mission of 02 – 20 Aug 44 outlined in Kreuger’s book (cited in comments above), involved Capt ‘Mac’ Gillespie being commanded (outstandingly) by a mere Dutch Second Lieutenant (Louis Rapmund). Gillespie dispensed with the formalities.
Similarly, the assumption made by a commentator above that a group of 60 or so must be commanded by a Field Grade officer (Major +), especially operating with forces of another country, is a naïve, peacetime generalisation. This was war. Graves initiated, built, grew and commanded the AJTD throughout 1944 and drove mission creep by integrating AJTD with US rescue squadron missions as far as the Philippines. Note the trips from Nabzab of those listed on AJTD strength of 22 Dec 44 (P.20–23) – most involving rescue work / ‘Catalina hops’ in DNG - one example being newly arrived Gillespie’s ‘blooding’ on the Kais mission; with Scott, Goddard and Riordan (P.20-23). Also, note the Nov 44 deployment of an ‘Australian Jungle Survival Detachment’ (WO2 T W Scott + 10 ORs) to conduct behind the lines rescues in the Philippines with US 5276 Composite Rescue Squadron (P.21 para 7; P.25, para 4). The word about Australians being handy to have on difficult rescues spread to the yanks from at least Mar 44 – the Hentsridge factor? But that’s another story, especially for those who have declared boldly that, ‘ …walking out by ill equipped and possibly injured aircrew was and still is a non starter’!
It was Grave’s force of personality, experience, salesmanship, networking ability and plain cunning that made and grew his detachment. It was Dick’s baby. Of interest in File 403485 is Grave’s handwritten note of 22 Aug 45 to DMT LHQ (P.3, P4). Here, Dick requests a copy of the GHQ SWPA Commendation to the Australian Jungle Training Unit (P.10, P.33). Why? Dick decided to convene a ‘breakup’ dinner for 50 members of the team on 08 Sep 45 (Brisbane?) - on completion of their final leave - and hand each of them a copy, as founding commander of the detachment. Perhaps Sgt R. F. Jillett QX32292 was at the dinner. He is listed on AJTD 22 Dec 44 strength (P.23).
Therefore, gentlemen, an Australian jungle training detachment that rescued aircrew in NG, DNG and through to the Philippines, for at least a year, did exist. Lieutenant Richard Harry Graves founded, grew and commanded it throughout 1944. Graves drove mission creep with the 50 men he picked and the reputation he built. So, if you like, his was functionally the Australian jungle training and rescue detachment – the important thing that is how the US clients saw it and used it. It never was a ‘unit’ in the purist regular army sense; just supernumery to HQ NGF, then Aust First Army, and existing from extension to extension (P.20, P.28) – like the 60 day extension requested by ‘Macarthur’ on 27 Jan 45 (P.27).
Incidentally, a Graves grandson who, like me, is a former naval officer – let’s call him CMDR T – is quite realistic about naming ‘orphan’ teams, having commanded small training detachments in the middle east and north asia in this century. Other than the odd posting note and a couple of minutes, you would be hard pressed to put together a picture of their work, even of their existence as entities. And when actually working ‘on the ground/sea’, you have to call yourself something that makes sense to the locals (and to supply bods). So, you use a succinct (and hopefully sexy) name that your client understands - The Australian ……. Detachment. That’s how a lot of history ‘works’.
In any case, AJTD numbers grew from 7, to 43 in Dec 44 and over 50 in 1945. Furthermore, it was not a ‘misfit’ unit but a highly commended one - note documents in support of the GHQ SWPA Commendation (P. 33): from 8th Fighter Gp (P.34), HQ V Fighter CMD and HQ 5th AF (P.36), as well as HQ FEAF (P.38).
But the measure of a man is not just a decade of committed and active wartime(s) service. Post war, from early 1947, Dick and his ‘gang that will teach you bush, branch and bark’ grew the Bushcraft Association (BA) that boasted membership of well over 100 and trained hundreds in bush craft from a base camp Dick arranged south of Sydney (BA had to vacate for national parks in 1968).
For more information on BA and AJTD and Dick’s many other works, a reliable profile of Graves is in the Oct 15 issue of Australian Bushcraft Magazine. See Richard Graves – The Father of Modern Australian Bushcraft (pp. 57– 66) at https://archive.org/details/AusBushcraftMagOct15Free/page/n53/mode/2up).
Finally, Gentlemen, let’s not jump to confusions. If this forum aspires to be a gentlemen’s forum then be gentlemen: mind your manners and display some scholarly discipline, especially when you are scratching around for facts. Above all, avoid insulting the memory and legacy of one who served his country, friends and family most ably through war(s) and peace, and even in death – through endless royalty cheques!
Richard Harry Graves will be published, admired and defended by newfound friends, long after his critics are gone and forgotten.
Cheers!
AJH psc BSc MA(ANU) PhD
