If Monument Australia is useful to you, please make a donation to keep this historical and educational resource available. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Monument Australia visitors, we are a self-funded, non-profit organisation, dedicated to recording monuments throughout Australia. Over time the costs of maintaining this website have risen substantially (in fact they are probably larger than those of many companies who exist for profit). In the past we have borne all the costs associated with maintaining the website but we are now having difficulties in paying the monthly expenses.

Z Special Unit Memorial

The Memorial commemorates Z Force who were a special group of commandos who trained in or around Cairns in World War Two. The memorial was moved from HMAS Cairns naval base and rededicated.

Often known as Z Force, a joint Australian, British and New Zealand Commando Unit, saw action against the Japanese during World War Two. Z Special Unit carried out 284 covert operations in the South West Pacific Theatre. The most well-known of these are, a Kayak Raid on Singapore Harbour called Operation Jaywick and the subsequent Operation Rimau, in which all 23 participants were either killed in action or executed.

The MV Krait is a wooden hulled vessel famous for its use during by the Z Special Unit (Z Force) of Australia during the raid against Japanese ships anchored in Singapore Harbour. The raid was known as Operation Jaywick.

Location

Address: Esplanade, near Cenotaph, Cairns, 4870 State: QLD Area: AUS GPS Coordinates: Lat: -16.917241

Long: 145.775352

Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

Details

Monument Type: Monument Monument Theme: Conflict Sub-Theme: WW2 Actual Event Start Date: 03-September-1939 Actual Event End Date: 15-August-1945

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date: October-2007

Front Inscription

1939 World War II 1945 In memory of the "Heroes" of M & Z Special Commando Units who trained on this site and the gallant ship "Krait"



This memorial was erected by the Queensland Commando Association.

MA