Historian David Howell will be presenting his work on Sam Templeton in Sydney, Anzac Memorial Hyde Park on 2 August 2025, 1030

If you have trekked Kokoda, then the campsite of Templeton's Crossing will be familiar. This presentation will help you discover the story of the man behind the name. Captain Sam Templeton of 39th Infantry Battalion was the first Australian officer to be captured by the Japanese in the 1942 Kokoda Campaign of World War II. After being interrogated by his captors he was executed on the battlefield. Prior to facing his enemy, Templeton had predicted his fate, telling one of his platoon commanders, that if 'he went into action, he wouldn’t come back'. Having resigned himself to his destiny, Templeton misled his captors on the numerical strength of the Australian forces waiting in Kokoda and Port Moresby. 

Did the misinformation given by a militia officer slow the initial push by the Yokoyama Advance Force into the Owen Stanley Range, allowing the Australian Imperial Force to join the fight earlier? Did Templeton create doubt in the mind of the commander of the South Seas Force, influencing an operational change for the attack on Port Moresby? A quiet and often aloof character originally from Belfast, Captain Sam Templeton is mentioned in just about every book written about Kokoda. Prior to fighting in New Guinea, Templeton is reputed to have helped quash the Irish rebellion, served in submarines with the Royal Navy during the First World War and to have fought with the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War.

Kokoda Legend will also be available for purhase on the day. 

When: 10:30AM Saturday 2 August 2025 at

Where: The Auditorium, Anzac Memorial Hyde Park, Hyde Park South, corner Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets, Sydney CBD.

RSVP: Admission is free of charge but a donation would be appreciated. For information call 0419 698 783 or email: president@militaryhistorynsw.com.au