At the age of ten, Sam Templeton’s playground were the streets of Belfast, it was a golden age. The year was 1911 and the linen mills, chimneys and cranes that formed the skyline herald the economic success of the city. Belfast’s wealth was different than that of the rest of Ireland. Unlike Dublin and other Irish cities where wealth was tied to land, trade or lineage; Belfast’s economic success derived from industry.

There is still mystery surrounding Sam Templeton, did he serve in Submarines during the First World War? Did he put his age up to enlist in the Second World War? Did he fight between the wars in the French Foreign Legion and the Spanish Civil War? What became of him after disappearing forward of Kokoda in late July 1942.

Despite many articles and publications written about Templeton, many key facts have been misrepresented or exaggerated.

Interviewing the surviving veterans, gaining access to the Templeton’s family archives, reviewing previous research and undertaking new research in PNG, Australia and Ireland, David hopes to publish a comprehensive biography on Templeton to coincide with for the 75th Anniversary of Kokoda.