Copy of May 2011 - Lazyfish Technology

May 2011 Kangaroo Valley Voice www.kangaroovalley.nsw.au Page 37
Special ANZAC memories
(Continued from page 3)
over and sank on 30 June. She was the first
RAN loss from enemy action in World War II,
but the fourth loss from the 10th Destroyer
Flotilla. HMS Defender survived Waterhen by
only a few days. On 11 July she too was
bombed and sunk during her return run to
Alexandria in company with HMAS Vendetta.
The crew of HMAS
Waterhen getting ready
to abandon the sinking
ship
During the campaigns in
Greece and
Crete Waterhen (I) had
escorted convoys on
several occasions. When
the Greek campaign was
finally seen to be a lost
cause, she played her
Harry Eagle (1941) part in evacuating the
Allied troops by embarking seventy men at
Megara, Greece, on 26 April 1941 and
disembarking them at Suda Bay.
The following month she assisted in the
evacuation of Crete.
In May 1941 the regular 'Tobruk Ferry Service'
for the supply and reinforcement of the
beleaguered Australian garrison at Tobruk was
instituted by destroyers of the Inshore Squadron.
This duty occupied Waterhen (I) for the
remainder of her career.
On 28 June 1941 Waterhen (I) left Alexandria
for Tobruk with Defender on what was to be her
last run. At 7:45 pm on the 29th, off Sollum,
both ships were attacked by dive bombers
and Waterhen (I), though not directly hit, was
holed by near misses and immobilized. Her
ship's company and embarked troops were taken
off by Defender. There were no casualties.
As darkness fell, Defender took Waterhen (I) in
tow, but it was soon apparent that she could not
be saved and the working party was taken off.
At 1:50 am on 30 June 1941 the twenty-three
year old 'Chook', as she was affectionately
known to her crew, rolled over and sank.
She was the first ship of the RAN to be lost by
enemy action in World War II.
After the war he married Rona in 1947 and
fathered eight children, worked as an owner
driver on interstate trucking and lost his life
aged 35 when his semi trailer overturned at
Gundagai NSW in December 1957.
Phillip’s father Andrew George Scott was born
12/9/1916 enlisted in the A.I.F. 12/5/41 2/4
Australian Pioneer Battalion.
Demobbed 28/11/45
Originally despatched to fight in Singapore but
on the way there
Singapore fell so
they were sent to
defend Darwin
and ended up
staying for the
duration. He also
spent time at Pine
Creek in N.T.
The 2/4th Pioneer
Battalion was
raised at Greta
army camp in
February 1941. “Paddy” Scott (1939)
After initial training, it arrived in Darwin in
September 1941 and established headquarters
at Noonamah.
Its companies worked on defensive positions
between Adelaide River and Darwin.
On 14 February 1942 the battalion left Darwin
and sailed with the “Sparrow Force” to Timor.
Japanese aircraft bombing forced them to
return following the Fall of Singapore.
The ship arrived in Darwin Harbour on 18
February and was sunk by the Japanese during
the attack on the harbour the next day.
The battalion’s equipment went down with it.
The 2/4th spent the next 13 months defending
various locations in the Darwin area, until they
were finally relieved in March 1943. After
some leave the pioneers regrouped for jungle
training on the Atherton Tablelands.
However, the war was nearly when the
battalion went overseas to support the 9th
Division landing in Borneo.
The OBOE operations aimed to reoccupy areas
(Continued on page 44)
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