Those who answered the call
Henry MouldsThe Memorial sailor is wearing the uniform of the Second World War. He represents both officers and sailors who fought the war at sea. He also represents the other two naval services, the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service, the Navy’s essential backstop ashore, and the RAN’s Nurses whose service was ‘beyond praise.’
The Victorian Naval Brigade was founded in the Port of Melbourne in1859. During the First World War sailors trained in the Port of Melbourne Reserve Depot went into action in New Guinea in 1914 as part of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF). They were in the crew of HMAS Sydney (I) when she defeated the German raider SMS Emden in November 1914. They also served in the bitter cold of the North Sea and the Atlantic.
In the first years of the Second World War many of the RAN’s ships did not survive the battles in which they were engaged. Ships companies fought to the end, often against heavy odds. In the six years of the war 219 officers and 1951 sailors of the RAN lost their lives. Most lie with their ships and have no grave but the cruel sea.
In those six years the RAN Reserve expanded from 4400 officers and sailors to over 30,000. Most of those young civilians went through Flinders Naval Depot, now HMAS Cerberus. They trained hard and then transited through HMAS Lonsdale to join their first ship. Appropriately the bronze sailor is looking out at the entry to Port Phillip Bay. Beyond is the open sea, his new home where he must brave what the naval prayer calls “the dangers of the sea and the violence of the enemy.” When one considers what new sailors who “answered the call” were facing when they went into battle, one can only admire the mental strength, resilience and the enduring courage that these young men displayed.
The Memorial is a permanent reminder of those who gave so much in both World Wars and the conflicts since. The sailor looking out to sea reminds us of those who never came back, but he also reminds us of those who came home and lived out their lives but who have since died. “Answering the Call’ is also a reminder of the thousands of sailors of the Australian Merchant Navy who served under the Red Ensign and the hundreds who died or were wounded in both World Wars. Merchant Navy ships carried the sinews of war, food, fuel, ammunition and troops, to the battlefronts of the world and sustained the populations at home. This memorial is also a tribute to their service.
The Memorial is a place of reflection where generations can pause, and remember what is owed to all who fought and returned from the sea - and to those who lie there still. The legacy of all Australian sailors commemorated here is our life long liberty.
Lest We Forget.
Source: Condensed from the unveiling address by Chief of Navy, 27 November 2015
