British Admiralty Navigation Chart - Plan of Anchorages between Borneo and New Guinea with Kayeli Baywarrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, navigation chart, british admiralty navigation chart, british admiralty

This photograph shows the crew of the first HMAS Warrnambool (J202) marching east along Timor Street in Warrnambool, just opposite the Post Office on the corner of Gillies Street. People are watching the parade from the footpath and two boys, dressed in their ‘best’ clothes, are marching alongside the crew. The HMAS Warrnambool was one of 60 Bathurst class corvette vessels built during World War II for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as armed minesweepers. The namesake of the City of Warrnambool, Victoria, was launched in Sydney in 1941. The HMAS Warrnambool began service with patrols off Bass Strait in 1941. In December the ship docked in the Warrnambool harbour at Lady Bay. The crew came ashore and performed a march for the city. The Mayor, Cr. John R Astbury presented them with a plaque of the City of Warrnambool’s Coat of Arms and the Warrnambool Patriotic Fund gave them a gift of 110 books for the crew’s library. The Warrnambool served in Darwin during the time it was bombed, it was involved in several rescues and carried troops to New Guinea, it carried out escort and patrol duties on Australia's east coast, then at Fremantle and back to Darwin. The ship was at Timor when the Japanese surrendered in 1945. It performed mine clearance work around the Solomon Islands and New Guinea after the war. In 1947 the HMAS Warrnambool was at the Great Barrier Reef, off the Queensland coast, to clear the defensive British mines previously laid to protect Australia’s boarders. The ship hit a mine near Cockburn Reef, exploded and sank shortly afterwards. One of the 70 or so men on board was killed and three died later. The rescued men were transferred by boats to the nearby HMAS Swan II, which took the survivors to Cairns. The four deceased were Victorian seamen. In May 1948 the Royal Australian Navy divers recovered a number of items from the wreck, including the ship’s bell and the City of Warrnambool plaque. In 1949 the RAN returned the plaque to the Warrnambool City Council, and donated the ship’s bell to the Australian War Memorial. Further objects were recovered in 1972-75 by Southern Cross Diving and Salvage. A memorial plaque was erected in Warrnambool on September 13, 1995 in honour of all who served on HMAS Warrnambool. NOTE: (1)- HMAS Warrnambool II (FCPB204 was built in 1980 in Cairns, with a compliment of 22 personnel. It was decommissioned in 2005. (2)- SS Warrnambool, a steam and sail ship, was built in 1892 in London and broken up in 1926. [A more detailed history can be found in our Collection Record 3477.]This photograph is significant for its association with the lifesaving rescue of the crew and the sinking Royal Australian Navy vessel, HMAS Warrnambool (J202). The HMAS Warrnambool played a nationally significant role in overturning Australia’s Immigration Restriction Act 1901 (colloquially known as the White Australia policy). The ship rescued, and brought to Australia, Samuel and Annie Jacob and their family after they evacuated Dutch East India. The family was threatened with deportation and made the first successful appeal to High Court regarding that Act. The HMAS Warrnambool has - Local significance for being the namesake of the City of Warrnambool - Local significance, having docked in Warrnambool Harbour - Local significance, the crew having paraded in Timor Street, Warrnambool - State significance for its first patrol being in Bass Strait. - National significance, being present in Timor at the Japanese surrender - National significance, shown by the significance of the ship’s bell being curated as Military Heritage and Technology at the Australian War Memorial. - National significance as part of Australia’s defence force history, being one of only four Bathurst class corvettes lost while in Australian service, the only Bathurst class corvette lost after World War II, the only RAN vessel to be sunk by a mine, and associated with the last four Navy deaths of WWIIPhotograph of the crew of HMAS Warrnambool J202. This black and white image shows the crew marching east along Timor Street in Warrnambool. People are watching from the footpath and two formally dressed boys are marching alongside the sailors. Inscription on the reverse.(PRIVATE details - See Notes)flagstaff hill, maritime village, maritime museum, warrnambool, shipwreck coast, mort's dock & engineering co ltd, h.m.a.s. warrnambool, hmas warrnambool, hmas warrnambool i, hmas warrnambool j202, hmas swan ii, j202, world war ii, bathurst class corvette, royal australian navy, ran, sydney built ship, bass strait patrol, sea mine patrol, mine sweeper, mine clearance, navy divers, great barrier reef, cockburn reef, southern cross diving and salvage, warrnambool city council, cr j r astbury, mayor j r astbury, warrnambool patriotic fund, seal, coat of arms, dedicatory plaque, hmas warrnambool 1941, shipwreck by sea mine 1947, sinking ship, sunk ship, marching, parade, timor street warrnambool, minesweeper

This badge was issued to Mrs M Deacon (mother) of 67 Cramer St, Preston to commemorate her son Flying Officer Stanley Alfred DEACON (255057) who was lost in a Consolidated Catalina A-24-22 of No. 20 Squadron RAAF, on the night of 08/09March 1943. The aircraft flown by the Commanding Officer of No. 20 Squadron W.Cdr Francis Bloomfield Chapman (271349) with Flying Officer S.A.Deacon as R.D.F. Operator (ie. radio officer) and 7 other crew members departed Cairns, and later reported being on fire, probably force landing 30 miles south east of Gasmata. A 3-4 day air search failed to find any sign of the aircraft or survivors. Gasmata is located in New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, Bismarck, New Guinea. Stanley Alfred Deacon is commemorated at the Australian War Memorial and the Rabaul Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10307635 Obverse: Circular metal (silver-coloured) badge with raised image of woman with floral bouquet. Raised lettering (see below) Suspended from badge, a rectangular metal strip (suspended by two rings) with small star held by split pin. Reverse: Hinged metal pin clasp Engraving (see below)Obverse: FOR AUSTRALIA Reverse: ISSUED BY THE C'WLTH GOVT A.F. 3713 AMOR SYDNEYww2., mothers and widows badge

On display in History House.Black and white photograph of man in military uniform, with peaked hat. Badges are pinned to hat and left lapel. ¾ turn to right. Below image is text stating man's identity and positions.Front: Colonel (RTD) Sydney Patterson M.C., M.I.D., War Service World War 1. Served from 1914-1919 New Guinea (Naval Force) 1914. Egypt, France, Belgium 1915-1919, 20th Batalion A.I.F.M.I.D. 1916, M.C. 1917. Commissioned on the Field. Twice wounded. World War 2. Served from 1939-1945 Australia (Darwin) New Guinea, New Britain, etc. Captain 1939, Adj. No. 7 Aust Int. Training Centre, 1941. G.S.O. 3 (O) G. Branch A.H.Q. 1942. Major R.A.E. (Docks) 1942. L.L. Colonel R.A.E. C.R.E 3rd Aust. Dock Group. CIVIC SERVICE Councillor, Portland 1931-1940 (Resigned for War Service) 1945-1957. Mayor of Portland 1935, 1938, 1939-40, 1949-50, 1953-54. Harbour Trust Commissioner, appointed March 1950 (1950-1957). Back: Mr. Stevenson (pencil, centre)

HMAS Bathurst (J158) named after the City of Bathurst NSW is the lead ship of 60 Bathurst class corvettes that were constructed during WW2. The Bathurst was constructed in 1940 her early career was spent operating with the British Eastern Fleet. Bathurst returned to Australian waters in 1944 and was deployed to New Guinea i n 1945. Bathurst was paid off in 1946 and sold for scrap in 1948.There were 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during WW2 the photograph in this collection is HMAS Bathurst the lead ship of 60. In this collection there are photograph albums, diaries and documents relating to W2156 Noel G Hernan, Stoker, including Sailor's Pay Book, Balmoral Naval Depot Identity Card, Entitlement to War Gratuity, Clothing Ration Card 1945-46 Issue, letters, newspaper cuttings, train tickets, a booklet 'V for Victory, Notes for Guidance in the Wearing of Campaign Stars and War Medals on Civilian Clothes. All of these items are the originals of W2156 Noel G Hernan and the photograph albums and diaries are those collected and amassed by W2156 Noel G Herman. Photograph of HMAS Bathburst., An oblong photograph, colour, kodac paper, a colour photograph of HMAS Bathurst a Bathurst Class Corvette.There is an enlarged print of this colour photograph, framed. The large framed version is hanging in the Geelong RSL 1st Floor.

This item is linked to the 'HMAS Encounter', possibly made on the ship c. 1913. In 1916 this ship visited a then unnamed island off the Western Australian coast, where the crew discovered two bronze cannons protruding from the sand. These cannons now in the WA Maritime Museum, Fremantle, have been linked to the "Mahogany Ship" legend by historian K.G. MacIntyre. Cribbage is a very popular card game, particularly with naval personnel. This cribbage score board belonged to Alexander Charles Forsyth who used it aboard H.M.A.S. Encounter in 1913. He was a stoker, service number 3086, from New South Wales. H.M.A.S Encounter, the fourth warship of that name, was built at Devonport Dockyard, Tasmania, for the Royal Australian Navy in 1905. She was a second class protected cruiser and in 1909 was lent for three years to the British Admiralty. In 1913 (the year marked on this cribbage board) she was in New South Wales and Queensland waters and in World War One she served in the Pacific region, taking part in the capture of German New Guinea. She was finally scuttled in 1932.Social significance: an example of leisure activities in early C20th. Historical significance: link to "Mahogany Ship" legend through H.M.A.S. Encounter. This is an interesting item with social significance as cribbage was a popular game, particularly in the 20th century, and it illustrates the pastimes of a generation past. It was given to Warrnambool and District Historical Society by a Wangoom couple and so may have local significance if A.C. Forsyth was related to this couple. H.M.A.S. Encounter was important in Australia’s naval history. Rectangular brass plate with rows of holes, grouped in tens. Plate mounted with 5 brass studs to a rectangular wooden base. 134 holes in brass, grouped in tens. Three holes in each end of wooden base. Board used for scoring made out of brass for game of cribbage Burnished gold on playing surface Reddish-brown on base 144 main indentations, 10 minor indentations Machine engraved "A.C. Forsyth" (in script)/ "1913"/ "H.M.A.S. ENCOUNTER" across middle of the plate, between the rows of holes. brass, ships, leisure, royal australian navy, cribbage board, games, mahogany ship, a s forsythe, encounter, alexander charles forsyth, warrnambool

The history of the No. 2 Independent Commando Company and 2/2 Commando Squadron during World War II – scarce as a 1st edition dated 1986. Having completed its training at Foster, on Wilson’s Promontory, Victoria, the 2nd Independent Company was raised and travelled north to Katherine, in the Northern Territory. However, following Japan’s entry into the war, as with the other independent companies that were sent to the islands off Australia, the 2nd was sent to Timor, where it joined the 2/40th Battalion and the rest of Sparrow Force. Sparrow Force divided itself between west Timor, part of the Netherlands East Indies, and east Timor, which belonged to Portugal. The 2/40th Battalion defended the capital of west Timor, Koepang, and the airfield at Penfui. Most of the independent company moved to the airfield at Dili, in east Timor, and the nearby mountains. Portugal was opposed to the stationing of a Dutch or Australian garrison in case this provoked the Japanese, but despite this opposition, on 17 December 1941, elements of the 2nd Independent Company and Dutch troops landed near Dili. On 20 February 1942 the Japanese invaded the island, attacking east and west Timor simultaneously. The 2/40th Battalion held out for three days, but were overrun and were killed or captured. Similarly, the 2nd could not hold the airfield and were also driven back. But they were not captured and instead retreated to the mountains where they conducted a very successful and pursued a guerrilla war against the Japanese which lasted for over a year. Following the capture of Timor, the 2nd occupation the company was listed as “missing”, the company’s signallers were able to build a wireless transmitter, nicknamed ‘Winnie the War Winner’, and on 18/19 April were able to contact Darwin. At the end of May RAN vessels began landing supplies for the Australians on the south coast of east Timor. These supply runs were very dangerous but they allowed the Australians on Timor to continue fighting. In September the guerillas were reinforced with the 2/4th Independent Company. However, this could not go on indefinitely. In August the Japanese lunched a major offensive against the guerrillas and Japanese reprisals against the civilian population of east Timor reduced their support for the Australians. The 2nd (now named the 2/2nd Independent Company) and 2/4th were withdrawn in December and January 1943 respectively. Although the 2/2nd Independent Company is best known for its time on Timor, it also saw extensive service in New Guinea and New Britain. The independent company reformed at the army’s training centre at Canungra, Queensland, where it was reinforced and reequipped. The company then moved to the Atherton Tableland, where it briefly became part of the 2/6th Cavalry (Commando) Regiment. Due to this reorganisation, in October, the 2/2nd Independent Company was renamed the 2/2nd Cavalry (Commando) Squadron. This name was later simplified to just commando squadron. When this happened though, the 2/2nd was back in action. In June 1943 the 2/2nd sailed from Townsville for Port Moresby and was subsequently flown to Bena Bena, in the Bismark Range in New Guinea’s highlands. Here they supported the 2/7th Independent Company in patrolling the Ramu River area. In the second week of July the 2/2nd moved into position, with its headquarters at Bena Bena and with its platoons’ occupying neighbouring positions. By the end of the month their patrols were skirmishing with the Japanese. The 2/2nd remained in New Guinea until October 1944. After 90 days leave, the squadron reformed at Strathpine in Queensland before sailing to New Britain in April 1945. The 2/2nd landed at Jacquinot Bay on 17 April. The squadron then moved to Wide Bay, in order to support the 13th Brigade of the 5th Division, and was based at Lamarien. Following Japan’s surrender and the end of the war, the ranks of the squadron thinned quickly as men were discharged or transferred to other units. For those who were left, they returned to Australia and in early 1946 the 2/2nd Commando Squadron was disbanded. Includes Nominal Roll Soft Cover without Dust Jacket – 270 pages

When Lloyd Campbell joined the AIF, he was underage and went to the Middle East with 2/17 Battalion. Later in New Guinea he made a major career change and volunteered for an unknown unit and special operations. What he had joined was the SRD – known as Z-Special Unit. Z Special Unit—also known as Special Operations Executive (SOE), Special Operations Australia (SOA) or the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD)—was a joint Allied special forces unit formed during the Second World War to operate behind Japanese lines in South East Asia. Predominantly Australian, Z Special Unit was a specialist reconnaissance and sabotage unit that included British, Dutch, New Zealand, Timorese and Indonesian members, predominantly operating on Borneo and the islands of the former Netherlands East Indies. The unit carried out a total of 81 covert operations in the South West Pacific theatre, with parties inserted by parachute or submarine to provide intelligence and conduct guerrilla warfare. The best known of these missions were Operation Jaywick and Operation Rimau, both of which involved raids on Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour; the latter of which resulted in the deaths of 23 commandos either in action or by execution after capture. Although the unit was disbanded after the war, many of the training techniques and operational procedures employed were later used during the formation of other Australian Army special forces units and they remain a model for guerrilla operations to this day. pp. 274, illusts, maps ww2, the australian special operations, special forces, z special unit

Popularly known today as Z Special Unit, or by the wartime cover names of Inter-Allied Services Department (ISD) and Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD), Special Operations Australia (SOA) was the Special Operations component of the US-led Allied Intelligence Bureau in the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War. The first in a set of five, Volume 1 – Organization tells the story of the establishment, organisation and function of SOA from its earliest days as a direct offshoot of the British Special Operations Executive, until the organisation’s disbandment after a long, brutal and bloody conflict. Introduced by clandestine operations and espionage writer C.A. Brown, Volume 1 tells the story of the establishment of SOA and its fight for survival as a British-oriented Special Ops organisation under American command, while giving the Imperial Japanese invaders a bloody nose all the way from New Guinea to Indochina. Covering in detail the major personalities, departments, directorates, training and operational bases of SOA, Volume 1.Soft cover with 200 pagesaustralian commandos, special operations, special forces, world war ii

In June 1953 , Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan, and became the Head of the Commonwealth. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh visited Victoria from 24th February to 9th March, 1954. The Argus was a morning daily newspaper, established in 1846 and closing in 1957. On 28 July 1952, The Argus became the first newspaper in the world to publish colour photographs in a daily paper. A large contingent of 160 students in a convoy of six school buses left the Orbost post Office at 6.a.m. to "Join in Acclaiming Our Gracious Queen" in Sale. An estimated 35,000 Gippslanders welcomed the Her Majesty, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. (info. from S.R.M. March 2, 10, 1954. A three guinea prize was offered for an essay on the royal visit. This item reflects the interest in the royal family to Australians at this time as well as the general feeling of respect and admiration felt by the rural communities towards the British Royal Family, especially towards Queen Elizabeth II.A hard covered book of 77 pp. The front cover is black with "E11R" in gold print. It is a pictorial story of Queen Elizabeth 11's visit to Victoria in 1954 - 24 February - 9 March.book-the-queen-in-victoria royalty

The ship “Ellis” started life as the Clementina, launched in America in 1781. The vessel was first listed in Lloyd's Register in 1784 and under this name began serving as a slave ship sailing out of Liverpool. A Lloyd’s database records of slave-trading voyages by vessels from Liverpool makes it clear that Clementina was a slave trader. The next year Captain J. Elworthy sailed her to West Central Africa and St Helena. He transported his slaves to South Carolina. Then in 1785 Elworthy gathered slaves in the Bight of Biafra and the Gulf of Guinea Islands for delivery to Jamaica. In 1786 Bent & Co. purchased the Clementina and renamed her Ellis, presumably after the then owner Ellis Bent. She remained in the slave trade and In 1788 Captain John Ford sailed the now renamed Ellis to the Bight of Biafra and the Gulf of Guinea to gather slaves. He delivered this batch of slaves to the island of Grenada. The next year, 1789 the Ellis was almost completely rebuilt, and from the change in subsequent reports of her cargo loading or (burthen), she was enlarged. In 1791, Captain Joseph Matthews became master and sailed the Ellis to the Gold Coast then delivering his consignment of slaves to the island of St Vincent. During this voyage, some misfortune may have befallen Matthews because records show the Ellis command was transferred to Thomas Given. In 1792, Given sailed to the Bight of Biafra and the Islands in the Gulf of Guinea, again collecting slaves for delivery to Jamaica. There is a parallel record, also for 1793, that the Ellis under the command of Thomas Heart, undertook the same journey and with the same itinerary and cargo. In 1793, Bent & Co. decided to use the Ellis as a privateer with John Levingston as the master. After receiving a letter of "marque” on the 3rd of June 1793, that allowed any armed vessel to commit acts on the high seas which would otherwise have constituted piracy. Thus the Ellis began to operate as a combat ship under the endorsement of the British navy. The Ellis was three times captured first by the French frigate Gracieuse, under the command of Captain Chevillard on 22 July 1793. The French took her into service and renamed her as ”Elise”. Later that summer the Spanish captured her and in November ownership returned to the French who then renamed her the “Esperance”. On the 8th of June 1794, Esperance arrived in Jacmel, Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), from France with the official proclamation of the abolition of slavery. Leger-Felicite Sonthonax was one of the Civil Commissioners of Saint-Domingue and he had already unilaterally proclaimed the island for the French colony the year before amid a slave rebellion and attacks from British and Spanish forces. Ironically, Esperance also brought the news to the Civil Commissioners that the National Convention of France had impeached them on 16th July 1793 and ordered them to return promptly to France. On 8 January 1795, HMS Argonaut, under the command of Captain Alexander John Ball, captured Esperance while she was on the North America station. At this time the Esperance was armed with 22 guns (4 and 6-pounders) and had a crew of 130 men. She was under the command of Lieutenant de vaisseau De St. Laurent and had been out at sea for 56 days from Rochfort, bound for the American Chesapeake Bay area.  The French ambassador to the United States registered a complaint with the President of the United States that Argonaut, by stating that by entering Lynnhaven bay, either before she captured Esperance or shortly thereafter, had violated a treaty between France and the United States. The French also accused the British of having brought the Esperance into Lynnhaven for refitting for a cruise. The British Consul replied that the capture had taken place some 10 leagues offshore as the bad weather had forced Argonaut and her prize to shelter within the Chesapeake area for some days, but that they had left as soon as practicable. Furthermore, Argonaut had paroled her French prisoners on arrival at Lynnhaven, and if she had entered American territorial waters solely to parole her French prisoners no one would have thought that objectionable. Royal Navy Service: Because the Esperance was captured in good order and sailed well, Rear Admiral George Murray, the British commander in chief of the North American station, put a British crew aboard and sent the Esperance out on patrol with HMS Lynx, under the command of John Poo Beresford, on 31st January. On 1st March the two vessels captured the Cocarde Nationale (or National Cockade), a privateer from Charleston, South Carolina, of 14 guns, six swivel cannons and a crew of 80 men. Esperance and the lynx went on to recaptured the ship Norfolk, of Belfast, and the brig George, of  Workington. On 20 July, Esperance, in company with frigates Thetis and Hussar, intercepted the American vessel Cincinnatus, of Wilmington, sailing from Ireland to Wilmington. They pressed many men on board into service, narrowly missing the Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone, who was on his way to Philadelphia. Esperance was formally commissioned in 1795 into the Royal Navy in August under the Command of Jonas Rose. On 4 May 1796 Esperance was sailing in company with HMS Spencer and Bonetta when they sighted a suspicious vessel. Spencer set off in chase while shortly thereafter Esperance saw two vessels, a schooner and a sloop, and she and Bonetta set off after them. Spencer sailed south by south-east and the other two British vessels sailed south-west by west, with the result that they lost sight of each other. Spencer captured the French gun-brig Volcan, while Bonetta and Esperance captured the French schooner Poisson Volant.   The Esperance eventually arrived at Portsmouth on the 3rd of November 1797, the crew was paid off and on 31st May 1798 the Admiralty listed the Esperance for sale and she was sold in June 1798 for £600.The subject scrimshaw is a modern reproduction crudely done of a historic vessel and the scene is believed to be engraved onto a synthetic substance. Scrimshaw art crudely carved into non-natural material in the shape of a tooth. The line artwork is an image of a three-masted sailing ship with a poop deck, and anchors, are coloured black. Inscription is engraved into tooth.Engraved "Man o War Ellis" warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, scrimshaw, ellis, esperance, clementina, elise, hms ship, man of war, leter of marque, privateer, slave ship, slavery, ellis bent, american war of inderpendance, marine art, marine artifact, whale tooth, ivory tooth, resin, plastic, craft, engraving, carving

Copy of a very important document of an event on the 6th September 1945, that changed the course of the second World War. A copy of the Japanese Surrender Document, in a brown wooden frame, with ornate font in heading.Instrument of Surrender / of /Japanese Forces in New Guinea, New Britain,/ New Ireland, Bougainville / and adjacent Islands./ I, the commander in Chief of the Japanese Imperial/ Southeastern Army, hereby surrender to the General Officer/ Commanding First Australian Army all Japanese Imperial Armed Forces/ under my command in accordance with the instrument of/ Surrender issued by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and Government and// General Order No1 Military and Naval issued by the Japanese Imperial Headquarters./ I will henceforth and until otherwise/ directed by you or your successor carrry out the orders/ issued by you or your staff on your behalf to the best/ of my ability and I will take action to ensure that my/ subordinate commanders carry out the orders issued by/ your representatives./ (Japanese signature) General, Imperial jap... (indecipherable)/ Japanese Characters / Japanese Characters / Commander in Chief/ Japanese Imperial Southern Army/ Received on board H.M.S. Glory of Rabaul at/ 1130 hours sixth day of September 1945./ Signature Lieutenant General/ General Officer Commanding / First Australia Army. Caption on front of Document says "Copy of Surrender Document/ Donated by Mr. Clive Morgan/ of Mildura (formerly of Red Cliffs)ww2, surrender document, japanese, 6th september 1945

gray plasticnon-fictionThe history of the New Guinea Air Warning Wireless Company. This reprinted version contains a map of the dispositions of Spotting Stations August 1943, additional MID awards listed and some additions to the nominal roll. The New Guinea Air Warning Wireless Company was formed in Port Moresby in late January 1942 and was granted “Separate Independent Establishment” status in October 1943. The company’s “founding father” was Major Don Small, who had witnessed Japanese air raids on Rabaul and realised that having lacked an effective early-warning system around New Britain meant that the defenders were taken by surprise. At the time, gaps had also appeared in the coast-watching communications network because the territory administration ordered the withdrawal of civilian wireless operators when Japan entered the war. The first influx of men into the company consisted largely of volunteers from the 39th Infantry Battalion, which was stationed at Port Moresby. Initial training was rudimentary, hasty, and was sometimes even carried out on en route to a new station. The first party of company personnel, or “spotters”, left Port Moresby as early as 1 February 1942, bound for the strategically important Samarai area, at the tip of Papua. In the first month of the company’s existence 16 spotter stations were established on the coast of Papua and in the mountains around Port Moresby. At the end of 1942 there were 61 operational stations being run by 180 men. The company’s high-water mark was in late 1944, by which time over 150 stations had been set up in Papua and New Guinea behind enemy lines. On 3 February 1942 the company issued its first air warning in Papua, when spotters at Tufi saw Japanese aircraft about to attack Port Moresby for the first time. The following month the company was responsible for the first Japanese killed in action in Papua by Australian ground forces, when spotters from Gona engaged the crew of a downed Japanese bomber. And in July 1942 the station at Buna signalled Port Moresby with news of the Japanese landings in Papua, marking the beginning of the Kokoda campaign. The dangers involved in the company’s work had also been made clear by this time. In July 1942 a party of spotters attempting to set up a station at Misima Island, off Milne Bay, was intercepted by a Japanese destroyer, resulting in the company’s first operational losses. Anticipating the direction of the campaign as a whole, the company’s focus moved north and north-west over the three years of its existence. In May 1942 a network was set up in the Wau area in association with the activities of Kanga Force. As part of the Wau network, spotter Ross Kirkwood audaciously constructed an observation post overlooking the Japanese airstrip at Salamaua. Kirkwood’s position was photographed by Damian Parer on the understanding that the pictures would not be published. They nevertheless appeared in a Sydney newspaper. The day after the publication of the photographs the observation post was attacked by the Japanese and Kirkwood was lucky to escape. In June 1944 the company’s headquarters were moved to Nadzab. By that time, spotter stations existed behind Japanese lines, as far north as Hollandia, and the company began to train Americans to perform similar work in the Philippines. In early 1945 the company moved to Balcombe, Victoria, where its members were posted to other units of the Australian Corps of Signals.world war ii, special operations, new guinea, new guinea air warning wireless company

non-fictionThe detailed history of the No.8 Independent Commando Company during World War II. Plastic protective cover over the book. The 2/8th Independent Company was formed at Wilson’s Promontory, Victoria, in July 1942 and travelled to Yandina, in Queensland, in September. While the other seven independent companies saw action in the islands off Australian and in New Guinea, the 2/8th spent most of the next two years based at Adelaide River, in the Northern Territory. While it was in the Territory, the independent companies underwent a series of reorganisations and the name of the 2/8th was changed from the 2/8th Independent Company to the 2/8th Cavalry (Commando) Squadron. This name was later simplified to just commando squadron. In July 1944, after years of waiting, the squadron left the Territory and sailed from Townsville to Lae, via Milne Bay. While at Lae, the squadron received an intake of 70 men from the 2/8th from the 2/3rd, 2/5th and 2/6th Cavalry (Commando) Squadrons, many of whom were veterans of the earlier New Guinea campaigns. Their experience was no doubt a useful reserve that would have been called upon during the 2/8th’s subsequent campaign in Bougainville. Others though, were able to implement some of their commando training when a small group from the 2/8th they made a secret landing on New Britain. Towards the end of the 1944 the 5th Division was preparing to make a landing at Jacquinot Bay in New Britain. Part of these preparations included landing a small group of officers from the division at Jacquinot Bay to make a secret reconnaissance of the potential landing site. As Jacquinot Bay was still in Japanese controlled territory, ‘C’ Troop from the 2/8th provided the protection for the reconnaissance party by establishing a position on the beach and by patrolling the surrounding country. Everything went well and the 5th Division later landed at Jacquinot Bay in November. The squadron too was on the move, and in October it sailed to Torokina, the main Australian base on Bougainville, where it joined the II Australian Corps. The campaign on Bougainville was dived into three areas, the Central, Northern and Southern Sectors. The 2/8th served in the latter two areas. The 2/8th made the first move of the Australian campaign in the Northern Sector, by patrolling from Torokina to Kuraio Mission and Amun once a week. The squadron did this from the second week of November unit the second week of December. The 2/8th was then transferred to the Southern Sector. The main battle for Bougainville was fought in the Southern Sector, as the 3rd Division advanced towards Buin – the main Japanese base on the island. As the division’s infantry brigades advanced along the coast, the 2/8th’s task was to protect their flank by conducting forward reconnaissance patrols, harassing the Japanese with raids and ambushes and conducting a form of guerrilla warfare. The squadron had a long campaign. For nine months, from the end of December until August 1945, the troopers were in action the whole time. After securing the Jaba River, they moved inland, first to Sovele Mission, then the villages of Opai, Nihero and Morokaimoro. They had reached Kilipaijino by the end of the war. Each village taken became a patrol base. Patrols were usually limited to two sections, although up to six sections could be operating at a time. Patrols generally lasted four to six days, but nine-day patrols were not unknown. The squadron collected and collated track information, terrain reports and located the enemy. Once patrols had gathered information, they were free to make a ‘strike’ against the Japanese by setting an ambush or taking a prisoner. These raids were very effective, as they forced the Japanese to deploy troops to their rear areas, removing men from the front created by the infantry. Following Japan’s surrender and the end of the war, the ranks of the squadron thinned quickly as men were discharged or were transferred to other units. For those who were left, the squadron returned to Australia at the end of December. In mid January 1946, at Liverpool, the 2/8th Commando Squadron was disbanded.

The original art piece was painted by Australian artist Will Longstaff after he attended the unveiling ceremony of the Menin Gate memorial at the entrance of the Belgian town of Ypres in 1927. It was purchased in 1928 for 2000 guineas and presented to the Australia Government by British Philanthropist Lord Woolavington The memorial is inscribed with the names of 54,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in Flanders with no known grave, over 6000 are Australians.The image commemorates those soldiers with no marked graves who died on the Western Front during the First World War.Dark wooden frame with gold gilt inner edge containing cream mount over a dark blue print with large cream coloured arched monument in distance.menin gate, will longstaff, lord woolavington

A group of Australian soldiers photographed outside "The Dome of the Rock" shrine in Jerusalem. During the Second World War, Palestine was under a British mandate and Australian and New Zealand soldiers were back helping the British army to stop the Germans from capturing Egypt and the Suez Canal. They fought alongside several Palestinian brigades enlisted into the British Army under The Palestine Regiment. The soldier sitting second from right is Sergeant Stanley Swainson BEDFORD VX79894 2/24 Battalion. Bedford was born 30/12/1907 and enlisted at Caulfield on 18/5/1942 aged 34 years. He served in the Middle East between August 1942 and February 1942 and Milne Bay New Guinea between August 1943 and March 1944 prior to his discharge on 9/6/1945. He was the Battalion Tailor and is mentioned on page 251 of the book 2/24 - A history of the 2/24 Australian Infantry Battalion edited by R.P. Serle. World famous "Dome of the Rock", site of the ancient temple of Solomon and now a Muslim shrine. During the 7th century it served as a testament to the power of the new faith of Islam. The Dome of the Rock is one of the earliest surviving buildings from the Islamic world. This remarkable building is not a mosque, as is commonly assumed and scholars still debate its original function and meaning. With the exception of the two uniformed females, presumably nurses, one soldier if not all identified as serving with the 2/24th Battalion known as Wangaratta's Own.Original black and white photograph of soldiers standing in two rows and a row of soldiers and two females in uniform seated on step with ancient building in background.dome of rock, jerusalem, stanley swainson bedford

Benjamin Danks was b. 1853 England, ordained 1878, and died 1921 in Rookwood, NSW. DANKS, Benjamin (1853-1921) Michael Horsburgh DANKS, BENJAMIN (b. Wednesbury, England, 12 Feb 1853; d. Sydney, NSW, 12 April 1921). Methodist missionary in New Britain and missionary administrator. Benjamin Danks migrated to Vic with his family when a young child. He entered the Wesleyan Methodist ministry in 1878 and was sent with his wife, Emma, daughter of John and Elizabeth Watsford, to join the Rev George Brown in the newly established missionary venture on the Duke of York group in New Britain, where he remained for nine years. An opponent of 'blackbirding', the traffic in indentured island labour for the Australian sugar cane industry, he warned local inhabitants not to go aboard any vessel recruiting labour for distant places, much to the displeasure of the labour traders. In 1880 he participated in the rescue of the survivors of the ill-fated settlement established by the Marquis de Rays. In 1907 he succeeded George Brown as the general secretary of Foreign Missions for the Methodist Church of Australasia and was president of the NSW Conference in 1908. He retired in 1918 and died in 1921 after a long illness attributed to the privations of his missionary career. Danks was highly regarded as a linguist and published the first book in the Tolai language of New Britain. He was a strong supporter of state legislation to control social evils, and to ensure pure food and drugs. He was an ardent temperance advocate. George Brown, An Autobiography (London, 1908); New South Wales Methodist Conference, Souvenir of the Presidency of the Rev. Benjamin Danks (Sydney, 1909); Wallace Deane (ed), In Wild New Britain (Sydney, 1933); Neville Threlfall, One Hundred Years in the Islands (Rabaul, 1975). MICHAEL HORSBURGH Electronic Version © Southern Cross College, 2004. Content © Evangelical History Association of Australia and the author, 2004.Engraving of Rev. Benjamin Danks based on the portrait."Rev. B. Danks. Late of New Guinea, Foreign Mission Secretary, Melbourne."danks, benjamin, new britain

Alec Pederick was born in 1902 and left school at 15 to work on his parents' farm at Wyuna, Kyabrum,Victoria. After receiving a sense of call he trained for the Methodist ministry and was appointed to his first parish at Zeehan, Tasmania in 1927. He was called to serve with the Methodist Overseas Mission in New Britain and New Ireland in 1929. He married Dorothy Clarke just before he left. After four years in PNG he returned through ill-health to Victoria. He was appointed to the Beaufort Circuit in 1933 and then in 1936 to the Methodist Home Missions Department. He was called up as an Army chaplain in 1942 and sent on active service in Papua New Guinea. He was discharged in 1944 and returned to the Home Missions Department. He was appointed acting General Superintendent in 1944 and then General Superintendent in 1946, a position he held until 1962. He also served as Director of the Federal Methodist Inland Mission for a time. He died in 1972.B & W photograph of 16 men and women sitting and standing outdoors. Alec W. Pederick stands 3rd from the left in the back row. The group are probably students and staff of the George Brown Missionary College in Sydney. Photograph is mounted on grey card.alec pederick, methodist, minister, george brown college, zeehan, rabaul, dorothy clarke, methodist overseas mission, papua new guinea, army chaplain,, home missions, methodist inland mission

Sr Rhoda Ransom, born Maryborough Victoria, 29 Dec 1887, worked as a nursing sister with the Methodist Mission in New Guinea from July 1912 until March 1913 when she returned to Australia suffering from malaria and rheumatic problems in her legs. Rhoda lived on the island of Ulu, which was across the channel east of Rabaul. Married George Frederick Cornwell 2nd February 1924. Died 30th May 1968.B & W gloss informal photograph of Mrs Rhoda Cornwell (nee Ransom) seated in a backyard.rhoda cornwell, rhoda ransom, new britain, new guinea, methodist, missionary, george frederick cornwell

Sr Rhoda Ransom, born Maryborough Victoria, 29 Dec 1887, worked as a nursing sister with the Methodist Mission in New Guinea from July 1912 until March 1913 when she returned to Australia suffering from malaria and rheumatic problems in her legs. Rhoda lived on the island of Ulu, which was across the channel east of Rabaul. Married George Frederick Cornwell 2nd February 1924. Died 30th May 1968.B & W copy of studio portrait of Miss Rhoda Ransom.rhoda cornwell, rhoda ransom, new britain, new guinea, methodist, missionary, george frederick cornwell

Alec Pederick was born in 1902 and left school at 15 to work on his parents' farm at Wyuna, Kyabrum,Victoria. After receiving a sense of call he trained for the Methodist ministry and was appointed to his first parish at Zeehan, Tasmania in 1927. He was called to serve with the Methodist Overseas Mission in New Britain and New Ireland in 1929. He married Dorothy Clarke just before he left. After four years in PNG he returned through ill-health to Victoria. He was appointed to the Beaufort Circuit in 1933 and then in 1936 to the Methodist Home Missions Department. He was called up as an Army chaplain in 1942 and sent on active service in Papua New Guinea. He was discharged in 1944 and returned to the Home Missions Department. He was appointed acting General Superintendent in 1944 and then General Superintendent in 1946, a position he held until 1962. He also served as Director of the Federal Methodist Inland Mission for a time. He died in 1972.Set of 8 photos (F68-3 has two additional copies) of Rev. Alec W. Pederick L. Th. All six photographs were taken at approximately the same age - late middle age - while still General Superintendent of the Victorian Home Missions department. Mostly bald, bespectacled man wearing glasses and clerical collar and stock and dark suit. All B&W. F68-1 is a cutting from The Spectator. F68-2 shows Pederick looking directly at the camera, unsmiling. F68-3 shows Pederick smiling looking to the right of the camera. F68-4 and F68-5 were taken as he was seated holding a large, open folder of papers, looking at the folder in -4 and to the right of the camera in -5. F 68-6 shows Pederick standing outside in a garden or "the bush" dressed in clerical garb with an overcoat. He is holding what looks like a camera and he is looking away from the camera.All the photos except F68-6 have an identification by name (Rev. A. W. Pederick" and all bar F68-6 have also identified him as General Superintendent and F68-3-5 identify him as General Superintendent Methodist Home Missions. F68-3 has "President of Conference 1955" typed on the back in red ink.pederick, a. w., zeehan, methodist overseas mission, methodist inland mission, beaufort, army chaplain, new britain, new ireland

Framed photograph of the history of H.M.A.S Australia 1928 - 1954. H.M.A.S Australia was one of three County Class Heavy Cruisers that served with the R.A.N during World War 2.The other 2 being H.M.A.S Canberra and H.M.S Shropshire. Canberra was sunk on the 9th August 1942 at the battle of Savo. H.M.A.S Australia had a length of 192.13M - a beam of 20.8M - a draught of 6.5M. She had a top speed 0f 31 knots (57 km/h) or 36 mph. The British Government donated H.M.S Shropshire to replace Australia. Australia's Battle Honours include Atlantic 1940-41 Pacific 1941-43.Coral Sea 1942- Savo Island 1942- Guadalcanal 1942 - New Guinea 1942-44 - Leyte Gulf 1945 Lingayan Gulf 1945. H.M.A.S Australia was commissioned on 24/04/1928 and paid off on the 31/08/1954. She was broken up in Britain in1956.See description.

The 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train (1st RANBT) was formed in Melbourne on 28 February 1915 and was intended to be a horse drawn engineering unit attached to the Royal Naval Division (RND), then serving as infantry on the Western Front. The term ‘train’, in its title, was a direct reference to the horse drawn wagons that would, in theory, form and move ‘in train’ to carry the unit’s heavy lumber, building materials and engineering equipment to the front. The unit was manned by members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve for whom there were no available billets in seagoing RAN ships. Many of the sailors serving in the 1st RANBT were rated ‘drivers’, and again, this refers to wagon drivers as opposed to motor vehicle drivers. Other seamen were rated as ‘artificers’ or ‘sappers’, the latter being a military term traditionally used to describe army engineers. Appointed in command of the 1st RANBT was Lieutenant Commander Leighton Seymour Bracegirdle, RAN. Bracegirdle was ideally suited to command the unit, having seen active service with the NSW Naval Brigade during the Boxer Rebellion in China as well as serving as a military officer in the South African Irregular Horse during the Boer War in 1901. He had also recently returned from German New Guinea where he had served as a staff officer in the joint Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) responsible for the capture of the German colonies in the Pacific in September 1914. Three hundred naval reservists, including 50 men who had recently served in New Guinea, were selected for the 1st RANBT and they began their training in horsemanship, engineering and pontoon bridging at the Domain in Melbourne. By late May 1915 a decision was made to send the unit to Britain to complete its training and then to join the RND on the Western Front. The plan, however, never eventuated. The complaints about the non-combatant work being done by the men had been raised in Federal Parliament and following consultation with the senior Australian officer in the Middle East, Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel, a recommendation was made that the unit be disbanded and its men used as reinforcements for the AIF. Consequently, Lieutenant Commander Bracegirdle was advised that his unit was to be dispersed; its men transferring to the AIF or being returned to Australia for discharge. On 27 March 1917 the 1st RANBT was officially disbanded.Oxidised brass anchor shaped collar badge.ww1, world war 1, first world war, ranbt, ran bridging train, royal australian navy bridging train, collar badge

This photograph was taken before this volcano erupted and obliterated the Township of Rabaul, New Britain. On October 7, 2006, Rabaul Volcano on the northeastern tip of New Britain produced a large-scale eruption. According to ReliefWeb, the eruption shook windows and rained heavy ash and small stones on the city of Rabaul as authorities declared a state of emergency. See https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/17486/eruption-from-rabaul-volcanoScanned from a coloured slideView from this sidematupi, rabaul, papua new guinea, crater, volcano

This photograph was taken before this volcano erupted and obliterated the Township of Rabaul, New Britain. On October 7, 2006, Rabaul Volcano on the northeastern tip of New Britain produced a large-scale eruption. According to ReliefWeb, the eruption shook windows and rained heavy ash and small stones on the city of Rabaul as authorities declared a state of emergency. See https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/17486/eruption-from-rabaul-volcanoScanned from a coloured slideView from this sidematupi, rabaul, papua new guinea, crater, volcano

This photograph was taken around 1958 long before this volcano erupted and obliterated the Township of Rabaul, New Britain. On October 7, 2006, Rabaul Volcano on the northeastern tip of New Britain produced a large-scale eruption. According to ReliefWeb, the eruption shook windows and rained heavy ash and small stones on the city of Rabaul as authorities declared a state of emergency. See https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/17486/eruption-from-rabaul-volcanoScanned from a coloured slideView from this sidematupi, rabaul, papua new guinea, volcano, island of new britain

This photograph was taken around 1958 long before this volcano erupted and obliterated the Township of Rabaul, New Britain. On October 7, 2006, Rabaul Volcano on the northeastern tip of New Britain produced a large-scale eruption. According to ReliefWeb, the eruption shook windows and rained heavy ash and small stones on the city of Rabaul as authorities declared a state of emergency. See https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/17486/eruption-from-rabaul-volcanoScanned from a coloured slideView from this sidematupi, rabaul, papua new guinea, volcano, island of new britain

Kites created by Helen Bushell, Kew resident for many years, and a pioneer of kite-flying world-wide. Kites are hand-made, mainly by Helen, and many were flown in local parks of Kew. Documents provide some background to the collection, and a set of photographs, which was used in an exhibition at Hawthorn Arts Centre, help to identify the kites and where they were flown. Individual items include: 2019.0047.01 - Make Mine Fly, Vol. 1 - book of instructions for making kites fly 2019.0047.02 - School Kites - book of 14 kite designs 2019.0047.03 - Helen Bushell Reaching for the sky (exhibition catalogue, 2017) 2019.0047.04 - Hansard (Victoria) Documents - statement by Natalie Hutchins, Minister for Local Government 2019.0047.06 - "Evolution" Trefoils - collection of advertisements for kites for sale 2019.0047.05 - Kite event badges on blue cotton sash (20 badges and name-tags) 2019.0047.07- Kite honours and B.A. Deakin plus Original Patents (Australian, British and U.S.) 2019.0047.08 - Helen Bushell, 1922- A Life in Kiting (28 panels mounted on board, showing photographs of Helen Bushell's kites, for exhibition in Hawthorn Arts Centre, 2017) 2019.0047.09 - 1986 Year of Peace Dove - paper pattern (15 copies + dowel rod) 2019.0047.010 - "Peace Dove" pattern August 1995 2019.0047.011 - Collection of drawings, patterns, poem, newsletters, etc. 2019.0047.012 - "Small birds" paper patterns 2019.0047.013 - Remake of old head "Fluted Sled" 2017 HB: nylon kite in heavy cotton bag 2019.0047.014 - Long yellow tail suitable for Rainbow Serpent 1992 2019.0047.015 - Long blue tail for Rainbow Serpent 1992 2019.0047.016 - Moth c. 1975 2019.0047.017 - Hand-held peace dove (used for Helen Bushell's memorial 2017) 2019.0047.018 - "Song for Bill" kite 2019.0047.019 - 7-point clown kite Kites and associated documents belonging to Helen Bushell have local significance for Kew, as many were flown in the area. They have artistic significance in their representation of Australian indigenous, Chinese, New Guinea and other cultural symbols. Among the documents are poems, books on kite-flying written by Helen Bushell, badges and cards from international conferences, and Australian, British and American patents for kite design. One kite shows an aerodynamically-designed keel which helped to improve safety for hang-gliders.Australian Kite Society, Helen Bushell collection of kite-related material, including kites, photographs, documents, badges, etc.australian kite society, helen bushell

William 'Bill' Leo Larkin (b. 19.09.1898) was born in Hawthorn (Vic). [His World War I enlistment papers give details of the Hawthorn birthdate, as well as Ballarat, but his birth records state his birth as Hawthorn). After leaving St Patrick's College in Ballarat in 1917, he enlisted in the army serving in England and France. At the time of his enlistment in the army in the Second World War (17 April 1940), he was recorded as living in Kew. His service number was VX11459. The Sands & McDougall Directory of 1938 gives his address as 31 Fernhurst Grove. In the army he served in the Middle East and in New Guinea. He was to attain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1942. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E) in 1946. Enlistment Presentation Wallets were presented by the City of Kew from 1940 to men who enlisted in the war. Typically, these wallets are dated 1939, even though the enlistment may have occurred at a later date.Memento presented to citizens of Kew (vic.) on enlistmentRectangular brown leather single fold wallet with eight internal pockets. The front includes an embossed City of Kew logo and the words ‘Presented by the Mayor, Councillors and Citizens of the City of Kew to W. L. Larkin on Enlistment for Active Service Abroad, 1939'.second world war 1939-1945, world war two, city of kew, william leo larkin, bill larkin, presentation wallets