Question for our friends from Oz

[tim lewin]

I would like to ask you a favour; can anyone tell me details of the career of Tony Synnert who I believe completed his career in the RAN somewhere new the top. If he is still alive he would be in his mid eighties now having served as a young officer in the RN in WW2.
Many thanks
tim

[herakles]

Today was the first time I've done a Google and had a zero response!

I don't know of the man as I was army myself (they're the ones that actually win the wars!!) but I am asking around amongst my friends.

[herakles]

SYNNOT, ANTHONY MONCKTON (1922-2001), naval officer and defence force
chief, was born on 5 January 1922 at Corowa, New South Wales. While he was
young the family moved to Albury, New South Wales and then to a remote sheep property at
Eskdale, near Longreach in Queensland. From age 12, Anthony (Tony) was educated
at Geelong Grammar in Melbourne, and for the next five years he was immersed in
school life, only visiting his family at Christmas. Synnot was a solid achiever at school
and excelled at tennis, cricket and golf.

In early 1939, at age 17, Synnot joined the RAN as a Special Entry Cadet
Midshipman. He was sent to Britain for training at the Royal Naval College,
Dartmouth, and after a compressed seven month course he graduated as a midshipman in 1940. At
Dartmouth he had gained course prizes for signals, torpedo, anti-submarine and his
specialty gunnery. Synnot was promoted sub-lieutenant in late 1940 while serving on HMAS
Canberra.

He then joined HMAS Stuart in the Mediterranean under Captain Hector
Waller [q.v.]. After a near miss from attacking aircraft early in 1941, Captain Waller
[q.v.] asked his midshipman 'What do you think of that then?' to which Synnot replied,
'Very, exciting, sir'. Much more 'excitement' followed as Synnot served on Stuart at the
Battle of Matapan and during the evacuations of Greece and Crete. He was
mentioned-in-despatches for bravery when ferrying soldiers off the beach at Tolon, Greece, in strong
wind, heavy surf and under shellfire. Synnot later served onboard HM Ships Barham and
Punjabi. He was onboard Punjabi when it was sunk in collision with the battleship HMS
King George V inArctic waters in 1942. Paddling in the mid-winter conditions, covered in
engine oil, hewas fortunately rescued by another destroyer. Later in life, he joked
that the bill for the oilfouled sheets where he slept onboard that destroyer followed him for the rest
of the war.

Synnot joined HMAS Quiberon in July 1942 and remained onboard until
December 1944. He was promoted lieutenant in April 1942 and became the ship's
second-in-command at age 22. After leaving Quiberon he qualified as a specialist Gunnery
Officer at HMS Excellent, Whale Island Portsmouth.

After the war, he served in the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney, on staff
at Navy Office, and as an instructor at HMS Excellent, being promoted to lieutenant
commander in 1950 and commander in 1954. In 1956 he commanded HMAS Warramunga during the
Malayan Emergency and as a guard ship for the yachting at the Melbourne Olympic
Games. Promoted to captain in 1960, Synnot commanded HMAS Vampire in operations
in South-East Asian waters, including a visit to Saigon in 1962. He left Vampire
to become Chief of Naval Staff for the Royal Malaysian Navy, a position which he held
from 1962 to 1965.

His efforts helped establish a strong naval tradition in Malaysia and
his service was recognised when he was awarded the Order of Chivalry 3rd class, Johan
Mangku Negara,(3rd Grade of Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara). His tact, judgment and
energy were all instrumental in his success in this complex environment.
Unfortunately, his stay in Malaysia was interrupted by the illness of his wife, Virginia. When she
subsequently died in Australia, Synnot's sister, Kitty Howson was able to care for his two
young daughters while their father was at sea.

In 1966, Synnot commanded HMAS Sydney on two voyages to South Vietnam
carrying troops and equipment in support of the Australian Army. On one of these
occasions he successfully berthed the 698 foot (213 m) long aircraft carrier in
Sydney without tugs - his ship handling skills receiving a loud cheer from the ship's company. The
following year he commanded the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne during the introduction
of the A-4 Skyhawk and Grumman S-2 Tracker aircraft. In the words of Vice
Admiral (Sir) Richard Peek, 'the flagship never had a better, more efficient and more
loved captain'.

During 1968 Synnot attended the Imperial Defence College in London. He
married his second wife Anne Colvin, the daughter of Admiral (Sir) Ragnar Colvin,
RN, [q.v.] in the same year before returning to Canberra. He was promoted to rear admiral
and appointed Second Naval Member in 1970, and subsequently Deputy Chief of Naval
Staff. In 1973 his last sea-going command was as Flag Officer Commanding the Australian
Fleet.

Returning to Navy Office Canberra in 1974, he served as Director Joint Staff on the Defence
Force Staff, and then as Assistant Chief of the Defence Force Staff. He
was prominent in organising relief operations after Darwin was devastated by Cyclone
Tracy on Christmas morning 1974.


Synnot was promoted to vice admiral and appointed Chief of Naval Staff
(CNS) in November 1976. During the same year he was also awarded an AO. While CNS
he ensured the RAN developed an awareness of the decision making processes
within the Australian government and administration. He emphasised good planning
and staff work and improved systems and relationships between the military and public
service arms of the Department of Defence. Although he recognised the need to buy the
United States built Guided Missile Frigates (FFGs) as a stop gap measure, he
consistently advocated renewal of an Australian in-country shipbuilding effort.

In April 1979 he was promoted to admiral and became the Chief of Defence
Force Staff, a position he held until his retirement in 1982. He initially persuaded
the Government that replacement of the aging aircraft carrier Melbourne was a high priority
and was involved in the decision to buy HMS Invincible. Later, he criticised the Fraser
government's economic cut backs when they 'rescheduled' a range of re-equipment
programmes, including the purchase of a replacement aircraft carrier for the RAN.
'Rescheduling' was a euphemism used to hide the loss of defence force capability without
directly over-ruling the individual Defence Force and Service Chiefs. Despite such setbacks
Synnot was always courteous, patient and thoughtful. His approach was not
adversarial, but rather he sought consensus through systematic effort.

After retiring from the RAN, he became Chairman of the Council of the
Australian War Memorial, a post that he relinquished in 1985. Survived by his second
wife Anne and his four children Jane, Amanda, Zoe, and Mark, he died on 4 July 2001 after
a long illness and a number of years suffering total blindness.

Synnot was one of the most highly respected officers ever to serve in
the Australian Defence forces. He had a presence that simply commanded without ever
raising his voice or using theatricals. From an early age he was destined for the highest
ranks in the Australian Defence Force, despite the determination of a select group of
politicians and defence bureaucrats to promote only 'safe' people to senior rank. With
strategic foresight and determination he started a program to improve the equipment
capability of the Australian armed forces that would enable Australia to play a
significant military role as a leader in the Asia-Pacific region.

[tim lewin]

wonderful, thanks very much for that; he was a good friend of my father throughout their lives and was I believe my godfather although like so many naval relationships we corresponded by letter when i was a child but I have no memories of meeting. The last time i heard from his was in the mid-sixties.

I wonder if you could do the same for me on Alan Richmond, he serverd aboard Ashanti with my father on the Russian convoys, he was from Tasmania and thus known as Tassie. He had a small cine camera and filmed aboard including my parents wedding on valentines day 1944. This was less a romantic triumph than opportunism following severe weather damamge to Ashanti escorting WSC aboard HMS KG5 through a hurricane in the bay of Biscay on his return from the Tehran conference. An episode captured in this Hamilton painting made specially for my father to comemorate that time! The picture shows Asanti and HMCS Athabaskan sweeping ahead of KG5 whilst pressing on at 28 knots acrossthe steep seas. More than 50 feet of the bottom-plating was corrugated by this requiring 14 days in dry dock, a bonus of a weeks leave to each watch!
all best and thanks again
tim

[herakles]

Wow! There's nowhere like the Bay of Biscay.

It was my pleasure Tim. So you might have been a godson. How nice.

You'll note he gained his mentioned in despatches at Tolo Greece. I know that place like the back of my hand as I have a house there. Right by my house is where members of our 6th Div. threw up the last road block to hold the Hun from gaining the beach. HMAS Perth played a big role there taking the troops on-board and on to Crete. Many were capture however and suffered appallingly at the hands of the Gestapo.

Getting the info on Synott was easy for me. I just plugged into my network of army buddies and asked for help. Synott was such a significant Australian that tracking the info. down wasn't hard.

But getting something on Alan Richmond will be. I'll do my best but I don't hold out much help. My network is all army.

[tim lewin]

Its a small world! very many thanks. I will try to make some video captures from Tassie's film and post them.