Prisoner of war

An Essay on the Royal Australian Navy’s Involvement in Support of the Compromised SRD Operations in Timor 1943-1945

September 29, 2019

By Sub Lieutenant Nicholas Seton RAN

…I feel so sad. What a waste – what a stuff up. It makes one feel a little bitter about the poor intelligence andcommunications surrounding each operation. Frank Nolan, 10 May 1998 (Evans 2002 p.197)

With this essay SBLT Nicholas Seton, RAN won the Naval Historical Society History Prize awarded at the recent NEOC graduation ceremony. Nicholas was born and raised in country South Australia in the small town of Morgan. He lived here until commencing academic studies at Flinders University in 2014 and subsequently the Australian Maritime College at Launceston, Tasmania in 2016. From there he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering, Naval Architecture (Hons).

On joining the RAN Nicholas entered the New Entry Officers Course at HMAS Creswell which he completed in June 2019 and has since been posted to HMAS Cerberus for an Engineering Officers Application Course. Following this he expects to be posted to sea as an Assistant Marine Engineering Officer.

Background

Throughout the Second World War the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) operated a series of little warships, notably theFairmile B type, in operations above Australia’s northern shoreline deep into enemy territory. One of the most noteworthyand contentious of the operations conducted by these ships was the support and continued resupply of the captured Lagarto Party in Japanese occupied Timor, under direction from the Australian Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD).

Aim

This paper will illustrate how the SRD operations repeatedly placed the crews of these vessels in danger unnecessarilydue to their inability to realise the compromised state of the Lagarto Party. We also examine the Australian naval Fairmile B and operations in Timor from February 1943 through to April 1945, encompassing Operation Mosquito, the failure of the Lagarto party, Operation Bulldozer, Operation Adder, and the discovery of the compromised states of the parties.

The Vessels

At only 112 ft the Fairmile B was one of the smallest warships operated by the RAN during the Second World War.Although small, they had significant capabilities with both anti-air and anti-submarine weaponry, and soon became avaluable asset in the RAN’s arsenal. Much of the work conducted by the Australian Fairmiles, in addition to the regular convoy escort and anti-submarine duties, were based out of tropical areas of northern Australia and throughout NewGuinea and Timor.

Fairmile Motor Launches (MLs) 814 and 815 were both operating out of the Port of Darwin at the time of theoperations, conducting rudimentary escort and anti-submarine duties within the harbour. At the time, Darwin was astrategic operational outpost for military forces operating throughout the occupied island nations to the north of Australia(Evans 2002 p.130).

These vessels, however, although the best designed vessel in the RAN’s arsenal, were not particularly well suited to the high humidity and open ocean transits which they were forced to endure during operations throughout Australia’snorthern waters. Originally designed for operations in the Northern Hemisphere, undertaking short transits around the UKand across to occupied France, they were never designed for the work which they were used for by the RAN. High humidity caused these wooden vessels to begin rotting, and with limited airflow through the internal spaces, they werenotoriously hot, damp, and uncomfortable.

The Lagarto Party

Operation Lagarto began on 10 February 1943 with the insertion, via submarine, of a three-man team led by Portuguesepilot, Lieutenant Pires, a civilian radio operator, Patricio Luz, and two Portuguese NCOs. The purpose of the operation was to act as informants on the Japanese operations and report back to SRD headquarters in Melbourne, as well as facilitate the evacuation of approximately 70 refugees caught up in the conflict (Central Intelligence Agency 2008). In order to undertake such a bold evacuation from well within enemy lines the only viable option was by sea, using smallshallow draught vessels that would be capable of getting close to shore and escaping at high speed.

The Evacuation – Operation Mosquito

Operation Mosquito was the code name for the first of two resupply and evacuation missions undertaken by RANFairmiles in support of the Lagarto operation. Australian MLs 814 and 815 were chosen and modified for the trip, which included the construction of a large temporary stern ramp for the purpose of the launch of a canvas and wood landing craft which was to be used to transport personnel and supplies from ship to shore. Along with the operation brief, ML 814 was supplied with a fake Japanese naval ensign for use when operating close to the Timor coast. It was upon the mutualagreement of the officers onboard ML 814 that they would morally refuse to fly such a flag on an Australian ship and thus they stowed the ensign in the potato locker for the remainder of the trip. That ensign is now on display at the AustralianWar Memorial in Canberra (Hordern 1994).

An Australian sergeant of the 2/4 Australian Independent Company, A.J. Ellwood, was to be inserted into the LagartoParty to act as a communications link back to the Melbourne headquarters of SRD. Ellwood joined the ship’s company on1 August 1943 along with two other SRD members and a specialist navigator. All members other than Ellwood would return to Australia with the Fairmiles. Both MLs 814 and 815 departed Darwin bound for Melville Island in order to refuel the vessels prior to the long transit up to Timor. The amphibious operation was a success, with the evacuation of anumber of refugees and the safe insertion of Ellwood and the required rations. As the vessels cruised away at top speed there was a feeling of a job well done (Evans 2002 p.142-149).

This extended transit from Melville Island to the Timor coast, an approximate distance of 1200 km, is well beyond what was originally designed for such a small vessel. In order to achieve the transit distance, and a fast evacuation, all the depth charge armament was removed from the vessels, thus leaving them vulnerable in the event of enemy submarinecontact. This operation can be seen as a success; although the vessels and their crews were pushed beyond normal operational conditions, the outcome was exactly what was asked of them. Operation Mosquito was seen as necessary in order to continue operational effectiveness in occupied Timor, even though it was highlighted in January 1943 that recapture of Timor had been ruled out (Evans 2002 p.195).

In order to escape enemy territory as quickly as possible these vessels were to leave their operation location at their maximum speed. Due to the remote location that they were operating in, however, they were required to conserve fuel on the journey to their rendezvous point. The brief for all supply operations was for a slow, 10 knots transit to the rendezvous point where they were to be shadowed by RAAF Beaufighters (Hordern 1994). This slow transit not only endangered these small boats but also the aircraft protecting them from above. When transiting across the open ocean attack from the air by prowling Japanese patrol aircraft was increasingly likely, thus revealing their position and potentially their mission.

Failure of the Lagarto Party

It was just under two months later, following the successful evacuation and resupply, that the Lagarto party, along with Ellwood, was surrounded and captured by the Japanese. When captured, Ellwood was unable to burn his ciphers and papers and therefore buried them in the sand nearby. This inability to burn classified material, which would have been the protocol in that situation, evidently led to the compromised position held by the SRD. Following the discovery of theburied papers and cipher, the Japanese tortured Ellwood until he unwillingly began to operate his cipher, re-establishingcontact with the SRD. With the SRD unaware that the entire Lagarto Party had fallen into enemy hands, the SRD continued to undertake aerial resupply drops and share intelligence. Consequently, Ellwood was forced to update the SRD with party movements and operations, this time faked by the Japanese (Central Intelligence Agency 2008).

Insertion of Cobra – Operation Bulldozer

This is the point in the operations at which the ignorance of the SRD can be highlighted. Followingon from the re-establishment of communications between the compromised Lagarto Party and the SRD in Melbourne, it was the SRD’sdecision to make a second insertion of intelligence gathering operatives into occupied Timor to assist the Lagarto party in their operation. This new party, named Cobra, was to be put ashore using a similar method to the evacuation of civilians during Operation Mosquito, this time using only ML 814. Details of this operation were passed on to the compromisedLagarto party prior to the amphibious landing. As a result, the party was met on the beach by a group of Japanese sympathizers posing as local villagers. Shortly afterwards, the entire Cobra party had been captured by the Japanese, withmany members of the party ending up in prisoner of war camps on the island where they were beaten and tortured, as wellas the capture and compromised use of their radio communications with Melbourne. This decision by the SRD to not onlyland the Cobra party, but to inform the Lagarto party of their intentions ultimately led to the capture and torture of thesemen (Evans 2002 p.159-162).

The biggest wrongdoing by the SRD in this whole affair that can be highlighted was the use of authenticators, which when included in a signal are words indicating that the sender has not being compromised. The first Lagarto party had not been issued such an authenticator when originally landing in Timor. Worse still, the Cobra party, once captured andforced to establish communication lines with Melbourne in a similar way to the Lagarto party, began to omit theirauthenticator from their transmissions, as per protocol if captured. This should have been an obvious sign to the SRD that something had gone very wrong in Timor. The SRD, however, oblivious to the omission of the authenticator, continued to communicate with the Cobra party, reminding them in one transmission to start use their authenticator. This inexcusableerror ultimately led to the continuation of supply and insertion missions across Timor.

Operation Adder

This negligence in regard to the authenticator ultimately cost the lives of the entire third party to be landed on Timoreseshores, the Adder Party. They too were landed using another RAN Fairmile, ML 429, which took four attempts to successfully land the party, finally landing on 21 August 1943 (Evans 2002 p.169-171). This operation involved placing the Fairmile crews in danger behind enemy lines a total of four times, only to have the embarked SRD captured and killed within hours of landing, indicating a clear waste of personnel and resources.

Discovery of Compromise

It was not until April 1945, 19 months after the capture of the Lagarto party, that intelligence reports began to realise that both the Lagarto and Cobra parties were in fact in enemy hands. This came after the realisation that the documents, air dropped to both teams, had found their way into the hands of the Japanese. The gravity of the situation was immediately realised and all future planned support operations for the Lagarto or Cobra parties was immediately ceased. The war ended only five months later (Central Intelligence Agency 2008).

Conclusion

These resupply operations, although successful in their own right, can be seen as failures considering the lack of impactand cost of human life, in both death and detention. The success of the naval operations can thus clear the RAN of anyinvolvement in the failed operations which occurred ashore, although the operations can be seen as an unnecessary risk to the lives of all the crew aboard the multiple vessels and aircraft involved in the operations. These missions pushed theoperational limits of both the vessels and crews, given that the vessels were not designed to undertake long rangemissions across open ocean. The original design for the Fairmile was for inshore and littoral operations with occasional sprints across the English Channel, and were not designed for open ocean multi-day transits. Although all small boats and aircraft involved in these resupply operations were not compromised, the risk taken by sending these vessels on theseoperations was immense. It can be argued that the potential risk which the crews of these vessels, for all operations following the initial evacuation, were exposed to during their voyage was unnecessary due entirely to the neglect of theSRD to detect the comprised state of the Lagarto Party.

Bibliography

Evans, P. (2002). Fairmile Ships of the Royal Australian Navy, Loftus, Australia: Australian Military History Publications.

Central Intelligence Agency. (2008). A Small South Pole. Retrieved 6 April 2019, from https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent- csi/vol4no4/html/v04i4a08p_0001.htm.

Hordern, M. C. (1994). Contact! HMAS Rushcutter and Australia’s Submarine Hunters. Australia, The Anti-Submarine Officers’ Association. Royal Australian Navy. ‘ML 814.’ Retrieved March 2019, from http://www.navy.gov.au/ml-814

By Editor

Knowing two senior members of our community who served in ML 814 retain clear memories of their war service, the opportunity was taken to ask if they would care to comment upon the essay. The following response was received from the (former) SBLT John Dowey, RANVR.

RAN Involvement in SRD Operation Timor 1943-1945

Dear Editor,

I am a long-time friend of Marsden Hordern – in war and peace. We served together on ML 814 in Darwin in 1943 – with the passage of time Marsden is almost certainly my oldest colleague. We both have a close link with those dangerous and tragic SRD operations in Timor; Marsden with ‘Mosquito’ and me with the somewhat ludicrously named ‘Bulldozer’.

Marsden has sent me a copy of your email 7 June and SBLT Seton’s essay. I was delighted to see a younger generation’s interest in the history of those traumatic years, which was kept secret for so long. It helps to deepen society’s understanding of those perilous times and appreciation of the brave men, who risked – and, in some cases gave – their lives in compromised and fruitless intelligence operations. Seton is a talented writer.

I still retain strong memories of the time I spent on that enemy beach that night quite oblivious of the situation that would emerge later for the ‘Cobra’ party. I was a raw 20-year-old sub-lieutenant with no training or experience in such an operation. It was only after the landing party returned to the ship, the landing craft hoisted aboard and ML 814 was speeding away from Timor that the reality of that night set in for me. I am sure there was a great collective sigh of relief by all aboard 814.

John Dowey, Jim Ellwood and Marsden Hordern. Dowey Collection c 2010.

In the ensuing years I have become a very good friend of Jim Ellwood. I have a deep appreciation of his bravery in volunteering to return to Timor as the sole signaller to the Portuguese Commandos and how he was let down by his command back in Australia. I know he has made his peace with present Japanese society after his trip there in 2011 (when he accompanied another POW, Sister Johnston of Rabaul Hospital). Whether he could ever forgive his SRD senior officers is arguable. I enclose a copy of my message to him last January on the 75th anniversary of that fateful night. I did not meet up with him.

I am not a great believer in oral history written many years later, unless supported by documentary evidence of about the time of the event. I try to remember Mark Twain’s aphorism – ‘I find that the further back I go, the better I remember things whether they happened or not’. Unfortunately, Fairmile ship logs do not appear to have been lodged in the Australian Archives to any extent – the ML 814 book(s) seem to be an exception. I accessed the log for Jan/Feb 1944 in 1998 and still have some handwritten notes. Of course, some oral history is more compelling than others. The narrative of the tragic ‘Adder’ operation written by my Darwin colleague and peacetime workmate, Trevor Vear, for Contact! The History of HMAS Rushcutter, provides a detailed account (page 433) of how ML 429 was nearly lost on a Timor reef that night. I also discussed ‘Adder’ with Harry Wadds, ML 429’s CO during our meeting.

I enclose copies of –

ML 814’s Sailing Orders for Operation ‘Bulldozer’

Report on Operation ‘Bulldozer’ 27-31 January 1944 (I wrote the Report for the CO LEUT R. Lewis, who added the final para.).

Additionally, in case you may find it of interest, I enclose a copy of an article Jim Ellwood sent me last year. It is an article on the SRD ‘failings’ (1943-45) by a W.A. University Law Lecturer and Military Law Research Fellow, Narelle Morris. It underlines for me the unnecessary risks the Darwin Fairmiles and their crews faced on SRD operations 1943-45.

Finally, may I take the opportunity to congratulate you on the June issue of the Review. Bravo Zulu.

Best regards,

John Dowey

Note: copies of the enclosures mentioned in the above letter are available on request to the Editor.

Book review: Under the Water Under the Wire and the men who sank the Sydney

September 5, 2017

By Grahame Wilson. Self-published via Publicious P/L in 2015. Paperback, 281 pages with b&w illustrations. Available from Amazon and Booktopia and selected booksellers from $30. EBook version is also available on Amazon and iTunes.

This fact-based story deals with German U-boat warfare as told by their captains and crews. It is well-researched from sources in Australia and Germany. Under the WaterUnder the Wireand the men who sank the Sydney relates to the escape of German prisoners from a POW camp in Victoria, Australia at the same time a German long-range U-boat was patrolling nearby off the Australian east coast.

The author was a schoolboy in New Zealand during WWII, finally graduating from Sydney University as a science teacher. Later he went on to produce films at the University, mostly on science-based subjects. While underwater diving in Sydney Harbour, he discovered wreckage that led him to become interested in Japanese submarines and subsequently German submarines visiting Australia. Years later after a hang-gliding accident in 1981 that left him a quadriplegic, he resumed his research, resulting in this fascinating account as seen through the eyes of the German sailors.

The story begins late in the war as U-862 leaves Germany under the command of Lieutenant Heinrich Timm, a former officer in the Merchant Navy. Timm’s personality as an understanding well-liked captain comes through in all his actions. Other U-boat commanders operating with Timm from their base in Penang show the differing personalities of those who chose to live their lives largely under the water. When encountering the enemy and sinking their ships, commanders of U-boats have to be dispassionate. Helping survivors can be very challenging. Examples of such actions show the dilemma and the hard decisions that have to be made.

Admiral Doenitz was the well-respected head of the U-boat fleet and directed their operations in all theatres. After heavy losses in the Atlantic, he decided to send a force to the less patrolled Indian Ocean, where most of the action in this story takes place. With the Japanese takeover of South-East Asia in 1942, Penang became a base for German U-boats and the Singapore dockyard facilities were available to them for ship repair and maintenance.

On arrival at Penang, Timm, along with German officers and U-boat crews, was welcomed and lavishly fêted by the occupying Japanese. At this stage of the war many American submarines were based in Fremantle and causing heavy losses to Japanese shipping in the Pacific, denying much needed supplies. Timm and U-862 subsequently moved south to latitudes below Australia to search for new targets. Finding none he began patrolling off the east coast of Australia and later New Zealand.

The story then takes us to the encounter between HMAS Sydney and the German raider Kormoran in March 1941 off the west coast of Western Australia. Sydney had not suspected that the supposed Dutch merchant ship was in fact a camouflaged German raider under the control of Captain Detmers.

As the story unfolds, as told by Captain Detmers, the battle resulted in both ships being sunk. There was not one survivor from Sydney, whereas Kormoran,which was able to launch lifeboats before it sank, lost about 60 men. Survivors drifted eastward for several days before being picked up by searching ships and taken into custody. The 300 or so Kormoran survivors were subsequently imprisoned in northern Victoria. The lower ranks in a large barbed wire compound, the officers nearby in an old abandoned mansion, Dhurringile. Three years later the officers dug a tunnel and 20 escaped – this great escape is known by very few. Detmers and Bertram were heading for the east coast – at the same time as Timm and his U-boat were patrolling in nearby waters. All escapees were rounded up with Detmers and Bertram being the last to be recaptured.

The epilogue follows the lives of the former prisoners after the war. During their time behind the wire, friendships had formed between prisoners and guards. Almost two hundred of those who had been in the Merchant Navy chose to remain in Australia, becoming Australian citizens. Those who returned to Germany organized annual reunions. In 1974 they visited Australia where they were greeted by an Australian Army band playing Old Comrades and, with their hosts, taken on a tour of their former prison camp.

The book makes fascinating reading. The characters are depicted authentically and compassionately. It is a valuable contribution to a little-known aspect of Australia’s wartime history.

Reviewed by Gordon Hill, with the assistance of Coral Johnson

SMS Emden – Painting by Numbers

March 23, 2015

By Walter Burroughs

The final voyage of SMS Emden and her eventual demise when cornered by HMAS Sydney is an action-packed drama which grips the imagination. Emden was a magnificent ship with a brilliant commander. Her story has been told numerous times from eye-witness accounts to official war histories and with many later commentaries. The historian A.W. Jose writing the Official History of the Royal Australian Navy 1914-1918says: ‘Whatever may be an estimate of the German Navy’s performance in the Great War, any navy might be proud of the Emden.’ The late Admiral Sir John Woodward (of Falklands fame) describes the last cruise of the Emden as both brilliantly successful and fatally doomed.

Despite all this information, difficulties are encountered in determining the exact complement of Emdenand, following her final fatal engagement, precisely where her officers and men were dispersed. This became of interest when attempting to identify characters associated with a small painting of Emden recently donated to the Naval Historical Society.

War is declared

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. In far distant China ominous war clouds loomed over the German concession at Tsingtao, home port of Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee’s East Asiatic Squadron. At this time the flag officer was at sea with most of his squadron, leaving the light cruiser Emden under her commander Korvettenkapitän Karl Friedrich Max von Müller as senior resident naval officer. On 31 July Emden was underway and the following day she received a radio message that the German Empire was at war with France and Russia. Emden commenced her remarkable war almost immediately as on 2 August she intercepted the Russian liner Rjasan and taking her as a prize returned to Tsingtao. Here the Russian ship was hastily converted to the armed merchant cruiser Cormoran.

On 6 August, the day prior to leaving Tsingtao for the final time, to bring her ship’s company up to strength she received three more officers, a junior officer, 13 technicians and 17 seamen. For a short time she also gained a Catholic priest. Five stokers who were suffering from dysentery were left behind in hospital, never to regain their ship. After coaling, Emden sailed to rendezvous with the remainder of the squadron at Pagan Island in the Marianas. Following a council of war it was agreed that Emden should proceed into the Indian Ocean and act independently there to interdict enemy shipping and trade. She was supported by her own collier and supply ship Markomannia with a German merchant crew.

Do the numbers add up?

When Emden made her final departure from Tsingtao she was near her wartime complement of 398 officers and men which included two European non-combatants, an officers’ cook and a barber, and three Chinese laundrymen. The cruiser sailed with 391 plus five non-combatants giving a total of 397 souls onboard. On reaching Pagan Island and later Angaur Island some crew exchanges were made where Emden received 15 additional officers and men and one officer and the priest were transferred out of her.

Emden was now uncomfortably overcrowded with 410 men onboard. This situation did not last for long as her successful encounter with thirty-two enemy and neutral ships resulted in many being taken as prizes, principally to ensure the adequacy of steaming coal. At one stage seven officers and 62 men were absent from Emden manning prizes. Prior to the Battle of the Cocos Islands 44 of her crew were manning the prize ships Buresk(16), Exford(15) and Pontoporos(13) which, with their valuable coal cargoes, became part of an increasingly important fleet train. Two of her crew were also aboard the consort Markomannia, one replacing the First Officer who captained a prize ship and the other to act as ship’s agent in an attempt to seek further supplies from neutral Dutch territory.

Emden’s remarkable exploits came to an end on 9 November 1914 after capturing and disabling the Cable and Wireless communications station on the Cocos Islands using a landing party of 50 officers and men. They were unable to regain their ship in time for the action when surprised by Sydney. Incredibly they escaped by capturing the island’s schooner Ayesha, making their way to the Dutch East Indies and from there eventually returning to Germany. This shows that at the time of her engagement with Sydney the Emden had a maximum of 314 (309 combatants) men available, 22 per cent below her wartime complement, which would have adversely affected her fighting capability. During the battle Emden suffered greatly with 136 men killed or dying of wounds, about 60 wounded and the remaining survivors badly affected by dehydration through lack of fresh water. By comparison Sydney’s casualties were light with four killed and 16 wounded. Following the battle Sydney intercepted the collier Buresk which scuttled herself, with Sydney taking her crew onboard.

We could speculate on what might have happened should the landing party have regained its parent in time for the battle. Emden’s renowned fighting efficiency might have improved but owing to the superiority of her adversary the ultimate outcome is unlikely to have changed. However the large number of Emden casualties could have significantly increased.

Emden survivors were also taken aboard Sydney. Even after the violence and intensity of the battle there was such respect for Commander von Müller that he was piped aboard Sydney and received by Captain Glossop who courteously declined to accept the vanquished warrior’s sword. An official communiqué on 11 November 1914 by the Secretary of the Admiralty announced that: ‘The Admiralty have given directions that all honours of war are to be accorded to the survivors of the Emden, and that the Captain and Officers will not be deprived of their swords’. As the war progressed attitudes hardened and it is unlikely that in all instances that these high ideals were maintained.

An account by Sydney’s medical staff of Emden prisoners says there were 70 wounded with 35 to 40 suffering seriously. To avoid overcrowding, all except the most seriously wounded were two days later transferred to the armed merchant cruiser Empress of Russia¹.All survivors were then taken to Colombo with the wounded transferred to hospital. All Emden officers plus 25 seriously wounded patients (from both Emden and Sydney) remained in Sydney and these were transferred ashore when she reached Colombo on 15 November. Most of the wounded were taken to the Royal Naval sanatorium at Diyatalawa in the southern highlands until they recovered sufficiently to be shipped to Australia in 1915.

Those uninjured and medically fit were later taken in five different troop transports to Port Said and Suez. Here the POWs were transhipped to HMS Hampshire, initially for passage to England. Shortly after their departure a message was received redirecting Hampshire to Malta, where she arrived on 6 December 1914. This change of plan was brought about by the near hero status of the Emden crew which was considered unhealthy to British morale. Warrant Officers and below were imprisoned at St Clements and later Fort Salvatore in poor conditions. Officers were confined at Valetta’s Verdala Barracks. Lieutenant Fickentscher escaped in an open boat to Sicily where he was held prisoner but returned to Germany in October 1917. Commander Karl von Müller²was separated from his men in October 1916 and transferred to prison in England; here courtesy was not evident and he was poorly treated. He too escaped but was soon recaptured. In January 1918 in deteriorating health, suffering from malaria, he was released from custody under a prisoner exchange program and transferred to the Netherlands. The remainder of the prisoners in Malta appeared to be forgotten and did not return to their homeland for some considerable time. Those officers who could pay their own way were released in 1919 but the majority had to wait until the German Government was able to send a ship in 1920.

The sloop HMS Cadmus arrived at Cocos a week after the battle to collect the dead and commit them to the deep. She later returned and salvaged three of Emden’s guns, two of which are now in Sydney and one at Canberra’s National War Memorial. Cadmus also helped suppress a serious mutiny at Singapore which saw the temporary release of some Emden prisoners.

Australian internment arrangements

At the commencement of war the Australian Government made arrangements for the interment of suspect locally-domiciled enemy sympathisers who were mainly German and Austrian residents. In total 6,739 men, 67 women and 84 children were detained; this includes some 1,100 sailors, mainly from the merchant service. A large officially termed ‘concentration camp’ was established within the confines of Holsworthy Military Camp near Liverpool in New South Wales. Because of overcrowding, subsidiary and more lenient camps were established by recommissioning older gaols at Trial Bay north of Sydney and at Berrima to the south. The former, which could accommodate about 600 inmates, mostly accepted those with professional backgrounds, whereas the latter, which was only half the size, mainly held officers from the merchant and naval services. Captured German naval officers and men were sent to both Berrima and Trial Bay.

From available information we understand that 49 of the wounded Emden prisoners were subsequently transferred from Colombo to Australia for treatment and were interned at Holsworthy. Some Emden officers were amongst the initial cohort of prisoners who were transferred to Berrima in March 1915. The following month 26 of their compatriots, all in good health, from Exford, Pontoporos and Markomannia, arrived at Holsworthy.

On 12 October 1914 the colliers Pontoporos and Markomannia³were captured off the neutral Dutch East Indies by HMS Yarmouth and taken to Singapore with the crews imprisoned at Tanglin Barracks. On 11 December a similar fate awaited Exford which was re-captured by the auxiliary cruiser HMS Empress of Japan near the western Dutch East Indies island of Sumatra and her crew transferred to the Empress of Japan and thence reunited with their shipmates at Tanglin Barracks. On 15 February 1915 the 5th Indian Rifles Regiment, garrisoned at Singapore, encouraged by their German prisoners mutinied and released the prisoners⁴.After ten days the mutiny was suppressed with the assistance of marines and bluejackets from British, French, Japanese and Russian warships. All were recaptured except Lieutenant Lauterbach (from Exford) who escaped to Java and thence to Germany via the United States. In April 1915 Emden prisoners in Singapore were transported to Sydney in the Burns Philp passenger/cargo ship Montoro and interned at Holsworthy.

In August 1915 some of these prize crews were dispersed between Trail Bay and Berrima⁵. The Berrima Historical Society has confirmed that one commissioned officer and six warrant officers were held at Berrima Goal. The Macleay Historical River Society has confirmed the names of 37 of the 38 Emden sailors held at Trial Bay Goal, which includes Assistant Paymaster Franz Bordeaux from Markomannia. Not all Emden men were lucky or fit enough to be sent to the ‘holiday camps’ and remained at Holsworthy throughout their internment. One sailor from Markomannia was shot and killed whilst allegedly attempting to escape from Holsworthy.

A new segregated Eastern Compound was built at Holsworthy and naval and military prisoners may have arrived here from Berrima and Trial Bay from May 1918. All other internees from these outstations were eventually returned to Holsworthy where they were shipped back to Germany in a total of nine ships which departed between April 1919 and June 1920. All Emden prisoners, together with a large number of civilian internees, departed from Sydney in SS Kursk on 29 May 1919 and arrived at Rotterdam 22 July 1919 from where they were taken by a special train to Germany.

Following representations from the German Government received via the Government of the then neutral United States of America, it was agreed that men classified as severely wounded and unfit for further military service might be repatriated to Germany. From an initial list of ten severely wounded prisoners five were eventually classified as fulfilling these criteria and embarked from Sydney on the hospital ship Kanowna on 4 July 1916 bound for London. A list of remaining Emden prisoners at Holsworthy dated 8 July 1916 shows 70 officers and men remained there.

The Emden Painting

One of our more senior members, David Mattiske, who served in the RAN during WW II and now resides in Queensland, recently contacted the Naval Historical Society about an Emden painting in his possession. In the 1960s when serving on the state executive of the Victorian Returned Services League (RSL), David was approached by an elderly lady (name unknown) with some material from Emdenin which her family showed no interest. The lady’s father had migrated from Germany in the 19th century and established a flourishing hairdressing and beauty parlour business at Melbourne’s Hotel Windsor.

Further enquires made with the Hotel Windsor confirm that a hairdressing salon seemingly with a German proprietor named Wannenmacher was extant in the early 1900s. Frederick & Anna Wannenmacher emigrated from Germany to Australia in 1855 with their descendants mainly to be found in Melbourne.

In 1915 it is assumed Mr Wannenmacher, or the then proprietor of the hairdressing business, was interned and sent to Holsworthy where he later met with Emden survivors whom be befriended. When they were separated, they presented him with some tokens of appreciation including a model of their ship and three small paintings. He was also given some diaries and other small artefacts which included a set of homemade wooden skittles.

The ship model which came boxed was thought to have been installed in the office of Sir William Hall, State President of the Victorian RSL. As no one showed any interest in the remainder of the memorabilia these were retained by David Mattiske. After WW I the unprecedented honour was granted to Emden veterans who so wished to add the suffix Emden to their family name. Over one hundred veterans accepted this honour including Prince Franz Joseph von Hohenzollern-Emden. Later David Mattiske met a grandson of one of the Emden survivors who lived in Adelaide. David gave one of his paintings of SMS Emden to this grandson who was overcome by emotion on receiving the gift.

Emden crew members and ship model with possibly Mr Wannenmacher centre back row and model maker Leading
Torpedoman Robert Mass to left of front row – NHS

About seven years ago David and his wife decided to downsize and were persuaded to sell the Emden artefacts to an antique dealer. These included a diary, some military documents and a set of skittles. All he retained was a photograph and two of the ship paintings. David has now presented a painting of Emden to our Society together with the attached photo of her sailors which is thought to show the ship model and possibly Mr Wannenmacher in the centre of the back row. The painting measures 18 x 24 cm and is initialled ‘J.L.’ and dated 1916. Records show only three Emden POWs in Australia whose names begin with ‘L’, which are Petty Officer Richard Lehnigk, Firemen Heinrich Laabs and Wilhelm Linnemann. As none of this group has a first name beginning with ‘J’ the mystery continues; could the artist have been from Markomannia?

The Mattiske Collection

In a surprising series of coincidences, about two years ago the Australian War Memorial purchased a small collection of Emden artefacts which have recently been lent to the Australian Maritime Museum and placed on display amongst an exhibition titled ‘The Australian Navy in WW I’. When visiting the Museum in January 2015 the author instantly recognised these artefacts as being similar to those mentioned as being sold by David Mattiske. They include a German military songbook from 1912, a Reich Pass or travel document, two photographs of Emden, a small purse, a pair of glasses, a hand carved decorative wooden picture frame, a set of skittles and a whip with the name Feukert carved into the stock. There is an Australian school exercise book with a four page account by an unknown author titled The Raid of the Emden. This appears to be from a German viewpoint but it is written in English.

Emden artefacts on display in Sydney – ANMM

The Victorian State Branch of the RSL has been unable to locate a model of the ship. This model is most likely that built by Torpedo-Oberheizer Robert Mass which won an award in an arts competition held at Holsworthy in 1916. It would be a wonderful conclusion to this exercise if the model was once again united with its contemporary artefacts. Perhaps one of our readers may know of its whereabouts.

The final numbers

As information taken from various authorities differs, it is not always possible to reconcile numbers. In August 1916 an Admiralty Prize Court in London heard a claim made on behalf of the crew of Sydney for prize money calculated at £5 for each man aboard Emden at the start of the engagement with Sydney. This was based on the premise that Emden had a full complement of 397, with 52 ashore with the Landing Party and 16 in the captured collier SS Exford, leaving 329 onboard at the start of the engagement and that 131 were killed in the battle and 214 captured after it. Later information, especially the considerable research conducted by the Emden-Family Association, indicates these numbers are inaccurate.

Information we have been able to find concerning Emden prisoners indicate 49 wounded were transferred from Colombo to Holsworthy. These were joined by 26 uninjured prize crews from Singapore. This provides a total of 75 which agrees with the official records confirming there were only 75 Emden prisoners held in Australian internment camps. There were two escapees that finally made their way to Germany plus 50⁶from the Landing Party and 136 men were killed in action and/or later died of their wounds, leaving an estimated 150 imprisoned at Malta.

To mark the centenary of the Battle of Cocos Islands a commemorative ceremony was held at the Cocos Islands on 9 November 2014 in the presence of His Excellency the Governor General, General Sir Peter Cosgrove and His Excellency the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Christoph Müller. The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, represented the RAN and the Deutsche Marine by Rear Admiral Henning Bess (Rtd) plus other naval participants and those representing the families of those lost in battle a hundred years past.

Notes:

Numbers taken from HMAS Sydney’smedical staff records says 60 wounded and 100 fit prisoners plus 18 Chinese were transferred to the Empress of Russia but these are disputed by other authorities.
Surprisingly Korvettenkapitän (Commander) Karl von Müller was not promoted to Kapitän zur See (Captain) until he returned to Germany in 1918; he resigned in ill health shortly afterwards and died on 11 March 1923, just short of his fiftieth birthday.
The faithful Markomannia was scuttled when challenged by HMS Yarmouth and her crew taken aboard the warship.
An unfortunate consequence of Great Britain declaring war on the Ottoman Empire on 5 November 1914 sowed seeds of conflict against Muslin states which has continued throughout generations. This also caused discontent amongst Muslims in northern India a situation which was fanned in 1914 by Germany, then a Turkish ally. The mutiny of Indian troops in Singapore is related to these events.
The Berrima Camp opened in March 1915; Trial Bay opened in August 1915 and closed in July 1918 with Berrima not closing until August 1919.
The fifty-strong landing party was later joined by another 4 men (two naval reservists and two merchant seamen) from SS Choising which ferried the Ayesha survivors on the final part of their voyage to southern Arabia.

Attachment: Emden Crew List of prisoners held in Australia

Red Lead – A Cat’s Tail

June 24, 2014

By Walter Burroughs

One of the privileges of writing naval history is occasionally being invited to visit ships and establishments and meeting some of the fine men and women who serve in them. One such event involved a visit to the Anzac Class frigate HMAS Perth during the 2013 International Fleet Review, giving rise to this article. Research material was provided by the timely release of Mike Carlton’s epic Cruiser and, contacting some very senior veterans who survived the sinking of HMAS Perth (I). Reference is also to be found in Shipmates, self published in 1998 by Vic Cassells, with illustrated tales of mascots carried in RAN ships.

Where it began

At the start of WW II the Australian Fleet comprised just fourteen warships. Pride of the fleet was the cruiser force headed by the two County Class heavy cruisers HMA Ships Australia and Canberra with their 8-inch main armament, followed by three Leander Class light cruisers – HMA Ships Hobart, Perth and Sydney with 6-inch main armament – and lastly the older Town Class light cruiser HMAS Adelaide, again with 6-inch armament. They were all well found and capable ships and, other than the obsolete Adelaide, were more than a match for any potential enemy.

During battle with Vichy French, German, Italian and Japanese forces they were sorely tested. Half of their number, Canberra, Perth and Sydney, were lost in action with Hobart also being severely damaged. This is a small part of the story of one of these fine fighting ships, HMAS Perth.

HMAS Perth (I)

Perth was one of three modified Leander Class light cruisers originally intended for the Royal Navy. She entered service in 1936 as HMS Amphion, but was transferred to the RAN in England’s historic Portsmouth Dockyard on 29 June 1939 and placed under the command of Captain Harold Farncomb, RAN. While Farncomb and some of his officers and senior NCOs were experienced, the majority of her crew were young men, with many raw recruits straight out of Flinders Naval Depot.

After work-up with the Royal Navy it was intended that Perth would proceed home via Panama, but this was interrupted by the declaration of war against Germany when she was placed at the disposal of the RN. She had a quiet introduction to war, being based in the Caribbean where she conducted patrols and convoy protection. Perth eventually arrived in Sydney on 31 March 1940. Many of her crew had been absent for nearly a year and now considered themselves seasoned old salts, but they had not fired a shot in anger. After maintenance and some well earned leave she was assigned to mundane escort duties in home waters.

In November 1940 Perth was on her way to relieve her sister HMAS Sydney, which had carried out sterling work in the Mediterranean under the overall command of the formidable Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, who liked the forthright character of Australians. While Captain Farncomb was not universally admired he was one of ours and, all on board must have been surprised at the choice of his successor, the aristocratic Sir Philip Bowyer-Smyth, RN. They need not have worried as the new captain proved himself worthy of any man’s trust, being both fair and fearless. Another officer who features in the annuals of Perth’s history is LCDR Charles Reid, RAN, who was her First Lieutenant on commissioning and remained with the ship until the commencement of her last fateful voyage. Being a sticker for protocol, Reid could upset the lower deck. However he was efficient and at times served in an acting capacity as both Executive Officer and Commanding Officer.

The Mediterranean

On Christmas Eve 1940 Perth reached Alexandria in Egypt, the then headquarters of the Eastern Mediterranean Battle Fleet where she was assigned to the 7th Cruiser Squadron. It was a hectic and dangerous period of activity, contending with the perils of mines, ships and submarines and incessant air attacks, nearly all without covering air support. At times it seemed all was lost, but training and dedication and working until both men and machines were exhausted paid dividends and the ship and her crew performed miracles. After surviving 257 air attacks she escaped virtually unscathed for months until one bomb too many struck home. On 30 May 1941 she was hit by a bomb that exploded in ‘A’ boiler room. The ship still limped into port with nearly 1,500 troops she had rescued from Crete, but four of her crew and nine troops died. Her war was not yet over, with further action against the Vichy French in Syria. On 17 July 1940 Perth was relieved on station by her other sister HMAS Hobart and shortly after she returned home battle worn, to some much needed leave and an urgent refit.

While refitting at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Captain Sir Philip Bowyer-Smyth quietly left his command, without due acknowledgment of his exceptional contribution and skills. He was relieved by Acting Commander Charles Reid. Nearing the end of her refit an accidental fire occurred resulting in a further month’s delay. While there was an enquiry it was impossible to lay blame, with Charles Reid, possibly unfairly, bearing the brunt of the Naval Board’s criticism which ruined his career. In October 1941 a new commanding officer Hector (Hec) Waller was appointed, not long from his own successes in the Mediterranean as CO of HMAS Stuart. Hec had earned his reputation as an excellent captain who knew how to get the best out of man and ship and was widely respected for his no-nonsense approach to service life.

Red Lead arrives

As the last liberty boat was leaving before Perth departed from Sydney on 30 November 1941, two young Able Seamen, Bob Collins and Ray Firminger, were making their farewells. Ray’s wife and his young daughter Pat, who was cuddling a tiny grey and white tabby kitten, were saying goodbye. Bob was chatting to the little girl when she reached out to him and told him he should take the kitten. Bob was taken aback but as the liberty boat was about to leave he accepted the gift and hurriedly stuffed the kitten into his jacket.

King’s Regulations and Admiralty Instructions forbade pets aboard HM Ships, but in the interest of morale a blind eye was often turned to this restriction. To the larrikin Collins this was a challenge and as he knew pets were forbidden, this could incur the wrath of his disciplinarian Executive Officer, Acting Commander Reid. Where to keep the cat until it found its sea legs was a problem solved by use of the paint locker. In those days when ships were primarily made of steel, there was a need for continuous maintenance of surfaces against the effects of corrosion. Teams were constantly chipping, scraping and wire brushing metal surfaces and then painting them with a primary coat of red lead. Ships had many gallons of this ubiquitous paint which is now known to be injurious to health. What could be more likely to happen in a crowded paint locker than the cat knock over a pot of red lead, leaving incriminating paw marks. Hence the name Red Lead was acquired.

Bob Collins still had the tricky task of gaining acceptance for his feline friend and a cunning plan was devised. Hec Waller was thought to be favourable to pets as in Stuart they had a monkey ‘Chico’ as mascot. During this period Perth was on the ‘ferry service’ escorting ships between Sydney and Fremantle, sometimes this could be exciting when doing high speed runs with Queen Mary and Aquitania, but usually it was with ships of lesser importance and with reduced speed. After leaving Fremantle in good weather, when he knew the Captain was on the Bridge and thought to be in a favourable mood, Collins introduced Red Lead to the command by letting her wander around until seen by the Captain. Thankfully he seemed quite amused to see the kitten and rolled up some signal paper for it to play with. After this Red Lead was allowed to roam free and Collins was assigned her guardian. One up for the larrikin!

On 10 February 1942 Perth called at Melbourne where a change-over of Executive Officer took place, with Charles Reid being relieved by Commander William Martin, RAN. Undoubtedly the former was replaced as a result of the fire and his subsequent Naval Board censure but this may also have saved his life.

The Battles of Java Sea and Sunda Strait

Perth was now on her way up top to shore up defences to our north but on 15 February 1942 Singapore fell to the Japanese. This disaster, where 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops had surrendered, completely changed Australia’s perception of the war. New ways had to be found of stopping the ever advancing Rising Sun. Perth was ordered to join the largely dysfunctional ABDA (American–British–Dutch-Australian command. On 24 February she first called at the Batavian port of Tanjong Priok for fuel. While here they were over-flown and bombed by Japanese aircraft, causing the Dutch Army ashore to open up with anti-aircraft fire, joined by Perth’s armament. There was little damage other than to a Dutch tanker.

The next day in company with the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter and her attendant destroyers, Perth proceeded to Surabaya to join the ABDA fleet under the command of the Dutch Rear Admiral Karel Doorman, flying his flag in the light cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter. In addition to the Dutch ships they were greeted by the USN heavy cruiser USS Houston and her four older four stack destroyers. Shortly after the combined fleet sailed to intercept a Japanese invasion force which was located on 27 February. After a bloody and violent encounter few Allied ships survived the Battle of the Java Sea. Hec Waller as the senior remaining commanding officer ordered both Perth and Houston to make for Tanjong Priok.

Supplies at the bombed-out port were limited, with minimal fuel and only 4-inch ammunition available. Possibly showing a cat’s famous ‘Sixth Sense’ of Extrasensory Perception, which provides them with their keen intuition when all is not well, Red Lead took fright and went AWOL. Able Seaman Collins was sent to find her, which he did. Jan Creber, the Master at Arms, then solved the problem in restricting shore leave by placing the escapee in her own cell made from a kerosene tin with plentiful air holes cut into it.

As soon as they could after darkness had fallen the ships sailed in company, attempting to make the comparative safety of the southern port of Tjilatap. This involved transiting the narrows of the Sunda Strait, then believed clear of the enemy. Late at night on 28 February they came into contact with screening destroyers of a strong Japanese naval force. Perth and Houston fought gallantly, but with limited ammunition and the enemy’s overwhelming superiority the end was inevitable.

Into Captivity

Just after midnight when the order for abandon ship was given, Bob Collins took the plunge hanging on to his beloved Red Lead. Bob was to survive but Red Lead was last seen clawing on to a piece of wooden wreckage. Amongst those killed was Bob’s friend Ray Firminger, and father of Pat, the little girl who had given them her kitten. What became of Red Lead no one knows we can only hope that she found her way ashore, but this seems doubtful. Of the 681 men aboard, 353 were killed in this final battle and all but four of the 328 survivors were captured as prisoners of war. Of these, 106 died in captivity, only 218 returning home to their families. Astute mathematicians will have noted a discrepancy of four in the above numbers.

Paymaster SBLT Gavin Campbell was thrown overboard by an explosion before Perth sank and was struggling in the water when he was hauled aboard a life raft. As Gavin’s leg was broken strips were torn from his overalls which were used to secure splints made from floating debris – the temporary medic who carried out this potentially life-saving work was none other than Bob Collins. It was weeks later before Gavin was seen by Dutch doctors who decided, as the wound had healed, there was nothing more they could do. To this day Gavin walks with a limp with one leg slightly shorter than the other, but fondly remembers the care provided by the cat man.

The trials of Perth’s men as POWs were many, being sent throughout lands controlled by their new masters, most on the Thai-Burma Railway. After completion of this infamous project on which about one third of prisoner workers perished, most survivors were shipped to slave labour camps in Japan. Now running perilously short of merchant ships, convoys were assembled using any rust buckets that floated, taking essential materials and men to fuel the war machine. One such convoy included Rakuyo Maru with several hundred Australian prisoners, including 45 men from Perth. The convoy was intercepted by USN submarines, unaware of the human cargo, and was torpedoed with devastating loss of life. The few survivors were mostly rescued the following day, ironically by USN submarines, and taken to their base on Saipan. On 18 October 1944 the minelayer USS Monadnock arrived in Brisbane with 36 Australian survivors of this ordeal. There were only four from the RAN which included the cat-loving Able Seaman Bob Collins. There to greet him was his old adversary and Executive Officer, Charles Reid. The two men warmly greeted one another with all thoughts of past differences long forgotten. It was to be nearly another year, mostly in October 1945, before the remainder of Perth’s men who had been ‘Guests of the Mikado’ for three and a half years were released from various prison camps and at last reunited with their families.

Red Lead lives on

There was of course another ship of this name. HMAS Perth (II) was the lead ship of three American-built guided missile destroyers which provided admirable support to the RAN for more than three decades, especially during the Vietnam War. Within this ship there was however no mention of our feline friend.

HMAS_Perth_(FFH_157)_near_Garden_Island_Naval_Base

HMAS Perth (III) is the last of eight Anzac Class frigates and it is in her that the tradition of Red Lead survives. On her bridge there is a picture of Red Lead and on the companion way leading to the bridge are to be found her tell-tale paw marks. To complete the picture the wardroom door has a cat flap, although no cat has been known to pass through it and new pets are not encouraged. There is one surprising anomaly as Red Lead shown in the picture is a (lucky) black cat while in ‘Cruiser’ and ‘Shipmates’ she is mentioned as a grey and white tabby. ‘Shipmates’ notes a further reference to the memoirs of another Perth veteran, Signalman Bill Bee. Bill wrote ‘All Men Back – All One Big Mistake’ which mentions Red Lead but does not allude to her colour. Unfortunately Bob Collins is no longer with us, but two other survivors (SBLT Gavin Campbell and Able Seaman Frank McGovern) maintain she was ginger. An Australian National War Memorial tribute also speaks of Perth’s black cat. Whatever her colour, and black she was not, she was a remarkable feline who helps us remember the proud deeds of those who have gone before.

One further disturbing piece of news is that the remains of the original Perth are not safe even after 70 years. While the site was known to local fishermen the wreck was not discovered by divers until 1967. A few relics were retrieved including the ship’s bell which is now displayed at the National War Memorial in Canberra. The wreck is not a protected war grave and in late 2013 it has been reported that material from it was being salvaged for scrap. This matter has been raised with the Chief of Navy and through his office with relevant Ministers who are working through the issues with Indonesian authorities in the hope of a satisfactory resolution.

Book Review: Ray Parkin’s Odyssey

March 24, 2013

Ray Parkin’s Odyssey by Pattie Wright. Published by Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, 2012. Hardback of 672 pages with over 100 excellent paintings and sketches, rrp $49.99.

The story of the short but gallant life of HMAS Perth was known to me from teenage years. A Naval College colleague had lost his father with the ship and a relative was a survivor. A sail at Flinders Naval Depot commemorated the boat voyage of some survivors. I was serving in Perth II in 1968 when David Burchell, accompanied by some 25 Perth I survivors, presented the ship with some artefacts he had recovered from the wreck. By then I was aware of one survivor in particular, Ray Parkin.

During the 1960s he published a trilogy based on the sinking of Perth and the experiences of the survivors. In 1997 he published the definitive account of HM Bark Endeavour. When Perth III was to be launched in 2004, Ray Parkin was planning to attend. Sadly his health precluded this and so I never did meet a man I admired and knew through his writing. Someone who did meet him was Pattie Wright, a writer and film producer. In researching the life of Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop for a movie she made contact with many who had known him. One of her contacts was Ray Parkin whose survival of the sinking ended with captivity in Java, Singapore, Thailand and Japan. There was much about him that led her to write his biography.

She saw in him a man with the limited formal education of the day who emerged as a natural leader in the desperate circumstances of captivity by the Japanese. Whilst many around him despaired and became introspective with the harshness and uncertainties of their situation, Parkin realised the importance of looking for the positives despite the climate, brutal guards, wretched food and continual struggle to maintain reasonable health. He saw the beauty of the butterflies and flowers of the jungle and urged his shipmates out of their despair.

From boyhood Parkin developed a talent for sketching and painting. When he joined the Navy in 1928 he took his paint box with him. In 1939 he was a petty officer and part of the commissioning company of Perth I. With paintings and diaries he recorded the harrowing experiences of Perth and her company during the Mediterranean campaign. Perth returned to Sydney in August 1941 for a refit and a new commanding officer, Captain ‘Hec’ Waller. A third of her company were posted out and replaced with fresh men. Petty Officer Parkin remained with the ship when she sailed north in February 1942 to join the disparate force of allied ships under the command of Vice Admiral Helfrich, RNN. Perth and USS Houston survived the confused action of the Battle of the Java Sea, only to be trapped in the Sunda Strait. With others, Parkin struggled ashore to an island. They happened upon a merchantman’s lifeboat and planned to make their way back to Australia.

The perils of the sea forced them to surrender to the Japanese in Tjilatjap in southern Java. Parkin was determined the story of Perth would be told and risking harsh retribution from his captors, he kept diaries for the next three and a half years. He also painted scenes in the prisoners’ camps. His subjects ranged from the beauty of colourful butterflies and flowers to the ghastly reality of two men with malaria assisting a near death cholera victim.

Pattie Wright met Ray Parkin when he was 90 and found a man she described as one of the most unexpected, challenging and life-changing people to have crossed her path. After several meetings she arranged a film crew to record further interviews. He introduced her to his paintings, diaries, letters and published and unpublished writings. Over the next ten years she made contact with Parkin’s fellow POWs and their families. Her bibliography lists 111 authors and numerous letters, newspaper reports and private papers. Most of all she has found in Parkin’s diaries a determined survivor. From these records she highlights the rigours of the Burma railway, the antipathy between soldiers of the 7th Division and the 8th Division and their disdain for the Dutch. She is able to highlight the difficulties following the repatriation of the prisoners of war – how they felt unable to discuss their experiences and the physical and mental problems that haunted many for years, even forever. There is no doubt she admires her subject, however she is not averse to mentioning his foibles and unfashionable attitudes. The book uses 40 of Parkin’s remarkable paintings of the world around him, many painted and hidden from his brutal captors in Java, Thailand and Japan.

Pattie Wright has presented the 95 years of the life and times of Ray Parkin in a most readable style and his admirers are certain to seek out this book, particularly those with a maritime background. Seafarers will find that Pattie Wright is not familiar with the maritime idiom and her book would have benefitted with the services of a saltwater proof reader.

Reviewed by John Ellis

Prisoner of war

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