By Norman Rivett Who were they? The first garden from which Garden Island derives its name commenced here on Monday the 7th of February 1788 when a party from HMS ...
History - general
HMAS Moreton and Brisbane Naval Depots
By George Franki The name Moreton is synonymous with naval history in southeast Queensland but to date little mention of it appears in our historical records. We trust this small ...
Letter: River Cruises and the Big River
Two letters have been received in response to Leyland Wilkinson’s article on ‘River Cruises and the Big River’. These important contributions are from officers with first-hand experience of navigating far ...
The Whitsunday Tragedy
By Allan Miles Whenever a tragedy happens resulting in the lives of young Australians who have chosen a career in service of this country, it is a great loss. Such ...
HMS Vanguard– The Battleship That Never Arrived
By Alf Batchelder On 6 March 1948, the Melbourne Argus reported that ‘…never before in modern times has the sea-going strength of the Royal Navy been so low.’ After recent ...
Letter: The Australia Station
An email was received from John Redman. I read the current (December edition) Naval Historical Review with great interest, an excellent publication. Not wanting to be pedantic but I suppose ...
Letter: Admiral John Gore at Lake Bathurst and Goulburn
Dear Sir, Many thanks for your delightful article on ‘John Gore of Lake Bathurst’ – NHR September 2015. You mentioned James Hassall and the lineage of that pioneer Anglican family. ...
River Cruises and the Big River
By Leyland Wilkinson There are many rivers in the world with clear access from the open sea for ocean going vessels, and over the years units of the Royal Australian ...
HMAS Brisbane in the Far East 1925
By Greg Swinden The inter war period (1919-1939) is often considered a time of little activity for the RAN, but in reality the fleet was constantly active. One of the ...
Aurora: the Ship that Started a Revolution
By Walter Burroughs Many great maritime nations have been able to preserve fine examples of their prestigious naval vessels. Most of us have been brought up on tales of the ...
Australian War Brides at Sea
By Liz Colthorpe In the autumn of 1946 the British aircraft carrier HMS Victorious undertook possibly her most unusual task, in transporting approximately 700 Australian war brides to their new British ...
Letter: The Hammerhead Lives
The following interesting letter has been received from our member Roy Kingston of Castle Hill. On 10 September I had the privilege of attending the ‘launch’ of the public display ...
Book Review: Endurance
Endurance by Tim Griffiths. Published by Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2015. Softback, 354 pages, rrp $29.99. The cover picture of an ice-bound Endurance is published one hundred years after the loss ...
The Development of Catering in the RAN and the Role of Victualling Allowance
By CMDR Robert McNeill, RAN, Rtd. The role of an effective food service system in navies has been prominent for centuries. That is, a viable fighting force needs to be ...
Women in the Royal Australian Navy
By MIDN M. S. SCHIMMEL, RAN – WINNER OF THE NAVAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRIZE Midshipman Mariella Savanna van der Riet Schimmel hails from Perth where she commenced a science degree ...
Shades of Grey
As Father Time catches up with us all strands of hair turn to lighter shades, perhaps not unlike warship livery which is again changing to a different shade of grey. ...
Thirteen Year Old Entries as Potential Admirals
By John Smith When naval training establishments were first introduced on home soil the system of entry into the Royal Australian Navy closely followed Royal Naval traditions. From the first ...
Admiral Sir Percy Scott – Naval Prophet
By Walter Burroughs A recent edition of the Naval Historical Review (Vol 36 No 2 June 2015) contained an article, Winston Churchill and the Navy, addressing Churchill’s relationship with the navy generally ...
John Gore of Lake Bathurst, New South Wales The first Admiral buried beneath the Southern Cross
This fortuitous story arises from the alignment of three generations each of clergy and of naval men. It is doubtful if the earlier generations knew one another but from ...
Raising the Flag in New Guinea
By Mary Mennis For thee we fight, dear Britain, risk our all, That Freedom’s flag may wave upon the breeze; Count losses gain if by them we but keep Our ...
Winston Churchill and the Navy
As fifty years have now elapsed since his passing this article may serve as a small tribute to the memory of this great wartime leader. A meteoritic rise upon the ...
The lagatoi of the Motu people and the lalong of the Bel people of Papua New Guinea
By Mary Mennis This interesting article is by an author who lived many years in New Guinea studying anthropology and almost by accident became expert in an older style of ...
Mary Bryant’s Open Boat Voyage from Sydney to Timor in 1791 – Opportunist convict or our most magnificent heroine?
By Marsden Hordern Mary Bryant nee Broad This is the story of Mary Bryant, the convict woman with two babies who in 1791 helped steal a naval cutter in Sydney ...
Book Review: Rescue Pilot
Rescue Pilot by Jerry Grayson, AFC. Published by Bloomsbury, London, 2015. Softback, 230 pages with photographs. rrp $29.99. Most boys who want to fly dream of screaming supersonic jet fighters and ...
The Naval Ode and Laurence Binyon
By Driftwood There are moments when we first gaze upon a work of art, whether in the pictorial or written form, and are drawn to its beauty and are inspired. ...