In September 1943 fourteen members of Special Operations Australia's Z Special Unit, carried out Operation Jaywick. Jaywick is Australia's most daring raid of WW2 penetrating deep into enemy territory from Australia attacking the Japanese held Singapore Harbour.

Z Special Unit members entered the harbor in canoes by night sinking seven Japanese ships with limpet mines before returning to Australia completing a round trip of some 4000 miles through enemy contested territory. This audacious raid threw the Japanese in to panic and was the most spectacularly successful raid of WW2 carried out by Z Special Unit

For some time, Australian military blade ware collectors have been in a quandary over which knives were provisioned and used on the Jaywick raid. References previously found were cryptic at best, incomplete and remained widely debated.

Only after a considerable painstaking research, conversations and letters with Jaywick family members and the sole surviving member of Operation Jaywick, has researcher Michael Lobb filled in the blanks and revealed the most likely identities of the Jaywick knives. Michael has produced an excellent document titled 'The Cutting Edge' that all collectors and researchers will find to be of immense value on this subject.

Michael's paper has been published in the Australian Commando News. I am pleased to say that Michael has given me permission to add his paper to my web site.

Michael has dedicated this paper to the men of Operation Jaywick and to the memory of the late Mr Keith Spencer who along with his wife Joan Renton - Spencer preserved the name 'Gregory Steel' and ensured that it was not lost for future generations of historians, researchers and collectors alike.

Michaels paper, 'The Cutting Edge', can be found here. I am sure that you will find it as interesting and informative as I have done.