Edition 5504, March 15, 2012 - Department of Defence

March 15, 2012 12 CENTRESPREAD
13
Remembering
WWII heroes
Michael Brooke
THE courage and the sacrifice of
Australian and Allied sailors killed in
the Battle of the Java Sea in WWII
were remembered by past and present
Navy personnel at a commemoration
service in Sydney on February 24.
More than 350 former and serving
RAN personnel paused to reflect on
the sacrifices of more than 2000 fallen
heroes at a ceremony to mark the 70th
anniversary of the Battle of the Java Sea.
The service commemorated events
that took place with the Japanese invasion
of Malaysia, the fall of Singapore
on February 15, the loss of many
Australian planes in Malaya, the sinking
of the battleships Prince of Wales
and Repulse to the last naval engagement
on March 4, 1942.
NSW Governor Professor Marie
Bashir and Commander Joint Health
RADM Robyn Walker laid wreaths
in the memory of the fallen sailors at
Sydney’s Martin Place.
RADM Walker said more than 78
ships and submarines from five Allied
navies took part in this major conflict
with enormous loss of ships and crew.
“Many more were captured or sunk
shortly before or during this period
including HMA Ships Perth, Armidale
and Yarra,” she said.
“This service specially honoured
the Allied sailors killed in the epic sea
battle fought during 27-28 February,
as well as the crews of HMAS Perth
(Capt Hector Waller) and the American
cruiser, USS Houston, which initially
escaped from the combined Anglo-
Australian-Dutch-American fleet of 14
ships.”
But Perth’s survival was short-lived.
The next day, on March 1, Perth and
Houston encountered a Japanese invasion
force in the Sunda Strait and were
sunk after inflicting heavy damage.
CAPT Waller was killed along with
half his ship’s complement; the remainder
spent the rest of the war in prisoner
of war camps.
REFLECTING: ABSS Lauren
Wilkinson, of HMAS Watson
Catafalque Party, at Rest at Arms
during the 70th Anniversary of the
Battle of the Java Sea in Sydney.
Photo: ABIS Dove Smithett
TRIBUTE TO THE FALLEN: Preparing to lay a wreath during the ceremony at the Cenotaph in Martin
Place in Sydney. Photo: ABBM Jesse Rhynard
Yarra’s sombre anniversary
Michael Brooke
HMAS Yarra’s ship’s company joined
CN VADM Ray Griggs in Canberra for a
solemn ceremony to mark the 70 th anniversary
of the sinking of Yarra (II) in
WWII.
Yarra’s gallant but hopeless defence
of her convoy in the Indian Ocean, south
of Java, on March 4,1942 is regarded as
one of the bravest acts in Australian naval
history.
The sacrifice made by Yarra’s ship’s
company was remembered at the ceremony
at the Australian War Memorial.
Of Yarra’s crew of 151 Australian
sailors, only 13 survived while making
a final stand as the ship was sunk by a
Japanese cruiser squadron.
The CO of the current HMAS Yarra,
LCDR Brad Vizard, said the ceremony
provided his young sailors with an opportunity
to reflect on the courage and sacrifice
of their name-sake which wrote
a glorious new chapter in the legend of
Anzac.
“This commemoration also reminds
all of us in this uniform what can be
asked of us as part of a combat force,”
he said.
VADM Griggs said the anniversary of
Yarra’s loss underlined the importance of
the protection of shipping and the importance
of our sea laws.
“On this important day, we acknowledge
the lives lost, the sacrifices made
and the selfless service given by tens of
thousands of fellow Australians,” he said.
“The story of Yarra is a special one.”
The RAN sloop was escorting a small
convoy from Java to Australia when a
superior force of Japanese warships came
into view.
Immediately, LCDR Rankin made an
enemy report, ordered the ships of the
convoy to scatter and, placing his ship
between them and the enemy, laid smoke
while preparing to engage ships, mounting
each 10 eight-inch guns with his three
four-inch guns. Against such fire power,
superior range and speed, the task was
hopeless, yet Yarra (II) fought gallantly
in a vain effort to save the convoy.
Yarra was also remembered in
Newport, Melbourne in a ceremony
attended by the sole surviving witness to
that tragic day, Bernard Higgins, 88.
Sacrifice not
forgotten in
WA ceremony
SBLT Sarah West
MORE than 200 people packed St John’s
Anglican Church in Fremantle, Western
Australia, on February 26 to mark the 70 th
anniversary of the loss of HMAS Perth I
and the USS Houston – sunk in the Battle
of Sunda Strait during WWII.
Among those paying their respects
were Arthur Bancroft, Norm Fuller, and
Fred Skeels, who survived the sinking
of Perth I, after their Modified Leander
Class Light Cruiser was torpedoed by a
Japanese Invasion Fleet on March 1, 1942.
The survivors were joined by families
of crew members who lost their lives
when the vessels were sunk off the coast
of Java, or later as prisoners of war.
Serving members of HMAS Perth
III and personnel from HMAS Stirling
took part in the service, which was also
attended by US Ambassador to Australia
Jeffrey L. Bleich.
Perth III Commanding Officer CAPT
Mal Wise delivered a moving speech at
the service
“The sacrifice of the men of Perth I
must not be forgotten,” he said
“Not simply because it is a remarkable
piece of Naval history, but because we
enjoy the freedom of this lucky country
because of the sacrifice of these men,
and so many others of their generation,”
said CAPT Wise.
Both the Australian anthem and
the US anthem were played during the
service to honour the brave sailors from
two great nations who fought side by side
70 years ago, and whose sacrifice will
long be remembered.
350 of Perth 1’s crew perished during
the Battle of Sunda Strait, and a further
106 lost their lives as prisoners of war.
The USS Houston lost 638 men during
the battle and a further 104 in POW
camps.
After the war, 218 of Perth’s crew and
266 of Houston’s men were returned
home.
During his address, CAPT Wise made
a tribute to their legacy.
“The bravery and heroism of the men
of Perth and the Houston has endured
to this day, and stands as inspiration
to all who would aspire to greatness
and sacrifice in the Naval Service of
Australia,” CAPT Wise said.
POIGNANT MOMENT: Left, the
bugle player of the RAN Band,
Sydney Detachment, plays the
last post during the 70th anniversary
of the Battle of the Java Sea,
at the Cenotaph in Martin Place.
Photo: ABBM Jesse Rhynard
HONOURING THEIR COMRADES: Above, the last surviving members of HMAS Perth
I pause for a moment after laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the
Australian War Memorial in Canberra at the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Sunda Strait; left,
two of the survivors, Gavin Campbell, left, and Fred Skeels. Photo: Lauren Black