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courage
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Chief Stoker Alfred Wrench provides an excellent example of courage becoming almost
routine. Wrench joined the RAN in 1926, and was serving in the destroyer HMAS
Waterhen (I) at the outbreak of World War II. While operating in the Mediterranean
he transferred to HMAS Vampire (I) and subsequently participated in the Greece
and Crete evacuations, the Malta convoys and the ‘Tobruk Ferry’. Already a model
senior sailor, he was mentioned-in-despatches for ‘outstanding zeal, patience, and
cheerfulness and for setting an example of whole-hearted devotion to duty’. 7 Wrench
was again mentioned-in-despatches after Japanese aircraft sank Vampire off the coast
of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) on 9 April 1942. During the action Wrench was senior hand of
the starboard pompom, which had a stokers’ gun crew. His citation remarked that he
‘showed coolness and courage throughout the action and kept his gun firing until the
crew was finally washed from the platform’. 8
Wrench subsequently spent time in Armidale, but had moved to the frigate HMAS
Gascoyne (I), before the corvette was lost. During the Leyte Gulf operations Gascoyne
supported the US Navy’s 7th Amphibious Force. On Christmas Eve 1944, the transport
MV Sommelsdijk was hit by Japanese fire and set ablaze. While efforts to rescue the
1300 US troops aboard the stricken vessel continued, volunteers from Gascoyne and
USS Buttonwood set about fighting the flames. Wrench spent the entire night dealing
with fires in the holds and supervising the efforts of others. For his ‘gallantry, devotion
to duty and good leadership’, he received the British Empire Medal. 9
Wrench was a courageous man, not because of a singular act of outstanding courage,
but because of the courage he displayed throughout his career. The wording of his
award while in the Mediterranean is significant. He displayed a courageous nature in
how he presented himself, in how he dealt with others, and in how he performed his
duties and accepted his responsibilities at all times. He set high standards, was reliable
in the face of adversity and drew upon his training and experience to act swiftly and
effectively. Our own courage likewise safeguards the success of our operations and the
lives of our shipmates.