- Author
- Howden, Patrick ffyske
- Subjects
- Biographies and personal histories
- Tags
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- RAN Ships
- HMAS Canberra I, HMAS Parramatta I, HMAS Australia I, HMAS Cerberus (Shore Establishment), HMAS Tasmania, HMAS Yarra II, HMAS Huon I, HMAS Brisbane I, HMAS Hobart I, HMAS Protector I, HMAS Albatross, HMAS Anzac I, HMAS Adelaide I, HMAS Platypus
- Publication
- August 1999 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
“For distinguished service with the Somaliland Force, Captain Harry was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).”
From the Red Sea to the Coral Sea, where Hobart joined the flagship Australia and the USN in the carrier battle which turned back the Japanese thrust towards Port Moresby.
On 8 June 1942, Harry relinquished command of Hobart and was appointed to Penguin in command.
His farewell party with his ship’s company in Brisbane is fondly remembered by those still alive who attended.
On completion of 5 years as Naval Officer in Charge, Western Australia and the break up of his marriage, he retired from the RAN in 1951.
His old ship, on paying off at the end of the war and spending time with the Reserve Fleet, ended her career in the RAN on 3 March 1962. She was towed to the breakers yard after her former captain addressed his old ship’s company and their relatives at a sad and moving ceremony on board.
In post war years, Captain Harry commuted between London and his house on the Swan River. “He would hitchhike in captain’s and admiral’s quarters with officer friends who had meantime become captains of ocean liners and warships, including an aircraft carrier. Harry could be a very frugal fellow. ”
“In 1966-67, for the first time, my father and I took a mutual concern for each other – he visiting my electronic activities at Sydney University and my off-hours voluntary social work with The Wayside Chapel, Kings Cross, Sydney.
Then in 1969, during typical Euro-China-Russia holidays, after an incredible 35-year career in the RAN, Harry died in St Barts, London Hospital. “