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50 australian maritime issues 2009: spc-a annual
relationships with his fellows, a characteristic all men responded to,
was his greatest asset as a man and as a great commander.
When ratings said, ‘Hec’s a gent’, they were not interested in his
antecedents or his upbringing. They meant they liked him, respected
him, and would follow him to hell if that was absolutely necessary. 7
Waller expected efficiency, but he never insisted on the impossible or made further
demands when his men had a job to do. He demonstrated his trust in them and they
responded in kind. It says much of Waller’s concept of loyalty that he treated admirals
as he treated the youngest rating - directly and courteously. Waller lost his life in HMAS
Perth (I), famously engaging a stronger Japanese force outside the Sunda Strait. His
former commander in chief, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, RN, with whom Waller
was quite willing to publicly disagree, wrote an often quoted tribute:
Hector MacDonald Laws Waller will always remain in my mind as one
of the very finest types of Australian naval officer … Full of good cheer,
with a great sense of humour, undefeated and always burning to get at
the enemy … Greatly loved and admired by everyone. 8
Loyalty has been described as the ‘greatest battle asset of all’, but it is something that
must be earned, it cannot simply be commanded from others.
Notes
1
Royal Australian Navy, Navy Values: Serving Australia with Pride, Canberra, September 2009.
2
C Wastell, ‘Stress in war’, in D Stevens & J Reeve (eds), The Face of Naval Battle, Allen &
Unwin, Sydney, 2003.
3
M Williams, HM Australian Ship Kapunda, Eureka Press, Beverly, undated, p. 82.
4
D Bennet, ‘Rogers, Jonathon (1920-1964)’, in GP Gilbert (ed), Australian Naval Personalities:
Lives from the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs No.
17, Sea Power Centre - Australia, Canberra, 2006, p. 180.
5
P Tsouras, Dictionary of Military Quotations, Greenhill, London, 2000, p. 279.
6
R Blain, ‘Grim days in the Java Sea’, in TM Jones and IL Idriess, The Silent Service: Action
Stories of the Anzac Navy, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1952, p. 229.
7
R McKie, Proud Echo, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1953, p. 23.
8
AB Cunningham, A Sailor’s Odyssey, Hutchinson, London, 1952, p. 308.