HMS Australia

[Colin Lewis]

My wifes grandfather was on board HMS Australia when she brought Queen Victorias body back from Isle of Wight 1901. I believe he was Captain, his name was William Erasmus Smith, can anyone confirm and was he related to Captain Smith of the Titanic

[stontamar]

HM Qeen Victoria died at Osborne House, Isle of Wight on 22 January 1901. On Friday 1 February 1901 her body was conveyed to Portsmouth on board HMY ALBERTA which was proceeded across the Solent by the Trinity vessel IRENE. The German vessel HOHENZOLLERN followed astern of ALBERTA and was in turn followed by HMY's VICTORIA & ALBERT, OSBORNE and ENCHANTRESS. The Fleet was assembled at Spithead for the occasion but HMS AUSTRALIA (Captain George Neville RN) was not present as she remained on station at Cowes acting as Guardship.

Acting Lt William Erasmus Smith RNR was appointed to HMS AUSTRALIA for 12 months training on 15 January 1901. On 27 February 1914 Smith was promoted to Commander RNR and had by then been awarded the Reserve Decoration. By 1918 he was temporarily promoted to Acting Captain RNR and on the 8 April 1918 he was awarded the DSO in recognition of his services in vessels of the Auxiliary Patrol.

I have no record of his service record post 1918 and I am afraid that I cannot confirm whether he was related to Captain Smith of the Titanic.

Hope this helps.

Regards - stontamar

[chrisjg]

I had a relative serving on either HMS or HMAS Australia during WW1 can someone tell me if it is the same ship? The information I have on him is that he died in 1919 but we think it was due to an influenza outbreak in Australia. He was Leading Stoker James Bennett and was buried with full military honours in Australia. He would have been 26 when he died.
Does anybody have a crew list for the Australia around this time.
I would be very grateful for any information.

Chris

[jbryce1437]

HMAS Australia was a Battlecruiser built for the Royal Australian Navy by John Brown 25 10 1911 and was sunk as a target 12 4 1927 off Sydney.
An earlier Armoured Cruiser, HMS Australia, was built for the Royal Navy in 1886 and sold in 1905, well before WW1.

[Batstiger]

Here's a picture of her for'd armament.

Bob.

[chrisjg]

Many thanks for the replies the photo's are good but not sure of the one towing her to her DOOM. I am really very interested in getting a copy of a crew list as well as historical photo's.

Many thanks Chris

[designeraccd]

Uhhh....was Australia modernized and that's when she got 2 twin 15" forward turrets???? oopzzz..............DFO :D

[herakles]

Just for the record - the influenza outbreak was world-wide. It is called the Spanish flu and seems to have originated in the USA.

It's impossible to determine the number who died of this. Some estimates say 100,000,000. Certainly at least 20,000,000. It had a 50% death rate. In fact, Australia was one of the few countries not to have a massive death toll, even though some 12,000 died there.

One of the biggest tragedies to befall Mankind.

Australia was scuttled with her armament in 1924, as part of the British Empire's compliance conditions with the ridiculous Washington Naval Treaty.

Weapons:

8 x 12 inch/45 calibre Mk X guns
14 x BL 4 in/50 calibre Mk VII guns
2 x 18 in broadside torpedo tubes

If your relative was serving when she arrived back in Australia in 1919, he might well have experienced the mutiny at Fremantle. See:

http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1808

[spruso]

Try this URL at the Australian National Archives.
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch/index.aspx
and use "Search as a Guest".
I had a search but couldn't find him ( Too many Bennetts). Do you have a full name or next of kin? If he was in the RAN his service record should be able to be viewed on that site.

Cheers
Bruce

[David Shipton]

I notice from the shot of the fo'csl looking aft that there are civilians aboard - must have been an open day or perhaps they are dockyard maties. I also see a huge clock on the main mast. Is this a standard fit?

[battlestar]

G'Day From Fremantle

I could be wrong, but I think that the shot of HMAS Australia that Bob posted is just before her decommissioning in 1922. The clock was a countdown clock to mark the time prior to her leaving service, but I'm sure the picture was taken in Sydney Harbour, Australia was heading out of the harbour on one of her farewell cruises, which VIPs, family & friends, and ex Australia crew got a last chance to be aboard.

Again, I could be wrong, but I have seen similar photos of these cruises.

Ian

[designeraccd]

Attached is a pic of Australia's sister the New Zealand. Both + third sister Indefatigable, carried 8-12" in twin turrets. Also, a nice colorized pic of the modernized battle cruiser Renown @ 1942. The 2 twin 15" bow turrets are very visible. DFO :)

[historydavid]

Hello Chris, this is the Admiralty casualty record for your relative:

BENNETT, JAMES, L/STOKER, RAN, 8835, H.M.A. Battlecruiser AUSTRALIA, 15-Jun-19, ILLNESS.

[astraltrader]

My favourite photograph of the Indefatigable...and the best I have ever seen!

[designeraccd]

A nice clear, sharp deck view of sister New Zealand's A turret.............DFO :)

[tinduck]

The clock under the foretop of Renown or Repulse (not Australia as pointed out by DFO), is not a countdown clock. It is a range and bearing clock, part of her gunnery system, designed to indicate in poor visibility to other ships the range and bearing of the target her guns are aimed at. These were fitted to ships in WW1 but were removed by the 1930s when shortwave radio was used to transmit the info instead.

Dave

[chrisjg]

Thank you all for the information and wonderful photgraphs and David for the Admiralty Casualty Record.
Very much appreciated, cheers Chris.

[Batstiger]

My apologies to all members for the mistake earlier on, I should have known better than to try and fool you guys.
Seriously I had it marked down as Australia and never checked the picture when I posted it.Lesson learnt.

Cheers, Bob. ( I'll leave it there as it was a genuine mistake!)

[historydavid]

We all make 'em Bob.

[herakles]

Senior's moment?

[designeraccd]

Gee and here I thought it was a GR8 job of RN camoflage to scare those ol HSF jhurmunnz!!!! DFO :D

[Batstiger]

Apparently the Idefatigables were laid down in 1909 and were only stretched Invincibles, with the same armament, except that the 12-inch guns were the 50 calibre variety and less accurate than the 45-calibre, since the shells tended to turn over in flight. Two of these ships, Australia and New Zealand, were paid for by those Dominions. New Zealand presented hers to the Royal Navy, but Australia wanted hers for her own protection. In the war they all fought with the Grand Fleet. The name ship of the class blew up at Jutland, with the loss of one thousand and fifteen out of the crew of one thousand and seventeen, while the New Zealand survived both Dogger Bank and Jutland without casualties , a deliverance possibly aided by the magical powers of the Maori grass skirt, presented to the ship on her visit to New Zealand before the war to ward off evil, and worn by the Captain over his uniform throughout both actions. The Australia missed all the major actions through being in dock when they occurred.

Cheers, Bob.

[herakles]

the Maori grass skirt, presented to the ship on her visit to New Zealand before the war to ward off evil, and worn by the Captain over his uniform throughout both actions. The Australia missed all the major actions through being in dock when they occurred.

Cheers, Bob.

What a sight that must have been!

Perhaps the magic is as strong as the Haka performed before every NZ rugby game. Probably explains why they always win!

You are of course correct Bob about Australia missing most of the action. In the case of Jutland it was because she'd had a collision with HMS New Zealand.

But she does have some notables. It was directly because of her presence that the German East Asia Squadron fled the Pacific to later be destroyed in the Battle of the Falklands Islands.

And she was made flagship of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron on 8 February 1915 out of Rosyth.

On 8 March 1918, a Sopwith biplane was launched from a platform mounted over one of the battlecruiser's 12-inch turrets; the first ever launching of an aircraft from a battlecruiser.

And she was the RAN's first and only capital ship.

And she was the ship involved in a mutiny in 1919 at Fremantle.

http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1808

[Batstiger]

Don't get me wrong Herk, I'm not knocking her.
It's a pity we haven't got a picture of her Captain in his grass skirt. There has got to be one around somewhere!

Bob.

[herakles]

Of course you weren't Bob! She was a "could have been" ship.

And yes, we must all try to get a photo of the Captain! OMG! :D

[Harley]

According to Beatty himself, addressing "New Zealand's" crew after the Battle of Jutland, Captain Green only wore a grass necklace which had been given along to the ship along with the skirt. Since "New Zealand" escaped pretty much unscathed from the battle Beatty joshed that next time the captain had better wear the whole outfit to make sure they didn't get it!

If memory serves the necklace was called a "tiki" and the skirt was a "piu-piu", although it may have been the other way around.

Simon

[spruso]

Chris,

I don't think my first reply uploaded so here we go again.

Here is the copy of the RAN Service record for James Bennett. Not much on it but states that he was on loan from the RN. Can't make out the next of kin but looks like his sister Mrs.Parry possibly of Hampstead Heath? I don't know what the words "Trade Messenger" mean on the top right hand corner of Page 1.

The pencil note on page two looks like he was conveyed to hospital on 13th June but I can't identify the hospital. Hope this helps

Cheers
Bruce

[Batstiger]

I don't know whether you guys have ever come across this site before but it's well worth the while digesting it."Most Interesting"

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/ExtractsfromJamesDixonsDi.html

Enjoy,

Bob.

[herakles]

My word, that was interesting Bob. Thanks for posting the link.

What a fascinating snapshot of WW1 and of the navy.

[Stan.J]

Thanks for finding that one Bob. It is a site that has had a lot of work put into it. Very enjoyable to read various pieces...

[chrisjg]

Hello Bruce

Many thanks for that, fancy going through all of that hell stoking boilers during WW1 to die of influenza. He was one of the now estimated at 50 million that died of influenza in 1919. Your guess of the 13th June written on the document would seem about right although I have difficulty reading it as he died 2 days later on the 15th. Buried with full military honours in Australia.

Superb information and it was just what I was hoping for many many thanks

Chris

:)

[spruso]

Hi Chris,

A bit more info on James Bennett. He has a memorial plaque on Wall 27, Plaque I in the Naval Section of Springvale Cemetery in Melbourne, Victoria AUSTRALIA.

The hospital that is in faint pencil on his Navy Record may have been the Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital in Melbourne. The hospital is now closed but you may be able to chase his records up somewhere.

There are 3 entries in the Victorian BDM site. https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/index-search?action=getHistIdxSearchCriteria
for a James Bennett dying in 1919 so one of those may be him.

Cheers
Bruce

[chrisjg]

Thanks Bruce.
Sorry it has taken so long to respond but I downloaded a system upgrade from Microsoft (more fool me) and have until now been unable to access the internet. These system guys are good but make the mistake of thinking that we all know how these machines work and I for one have not the first idea.
Anyway back on and thanks again, I have a few contacts in Australia and may be able to call in a favour in regards to a photo of the plaque.

Best regards Chris

[herakles]

Sounds like you downloaded Service Pack3. It's caused a lot of misery and irritatingly doesn't offer any real benefits.

With Microsoft as a friend, who needs enemies?