AWM52 1/11/18/4 - Headquarters London Victory March Contingent, 1946, part 3, Naval log - Part 1
AWM52
Australian Military Forces, Army headquarters,
formation and unit diaries, 1939-1945
1/11/18
MISCELLANEOUS
Headquarters London Victory
March Contingent
1946,part 3, Naval log
Barcode- See original document
1/11/18-0043
Daily Posn & Distance Travelled.
MELBOURNE - PORTSMOUTH
| Arriv Time From |
Dept Time To |
Speed (Knots) |
Course (° G) |
Latitude | Longitude | Distance (Miles) |
Total Distance (Miles) |
Place. | C |
| 15000 | 191200 | 15.2 | 271 | 38°50'S | 139°26'E | 310 | 310 | Melbourne At Sea |
D |
| 191200 | 201200 | 15.2 | 278 | 38°12'S | 131°17'E | 380 | 690 | At Sea | |
| 201200 | 211200 | 16 | 265 | 37°12'S | 124°00'E | 360 | 1050 | At Sea | E |
| 211200 | 221200 | 14 | 286 | 35°19'S | 116°32'E | 392 | 1442 | At Sea | F |
| 221200 | 230800 | 15 | 310 to 000 |
32°00'S | 115°35'E | 280 | 1722 | At Sea} Fremantle} |
|
| 231000 |
241200 | 15 | 278° | 31°56'S | 115°26'E | 17 | 1739 | Fremantle} At Sea} |
G |
| 241200 | 251200 | 15 | 278° | 31°10'S | 108°39'E | 360 | 2099 | At Sea | H |
| 251200 | 261200 | 15 | 278°-275° | 50°10'S | 102°13'E | 360 | 2459 | At Sea | |
| 261200 | 271200 | 15 | 268° | 29°51'S | 95°23'E | 360 | 2819 | At Sea | I |
| 271200 | 281200 | 15 | 270° | 29°59'S | 88°26'E | 375 | 3194 | At Sea | J |
| 281200 | 291200 | 15 | 268° | 30°00'S | 51°28'E | 360 | 3554 | At Sea | |
| 291200 | 301200 | 15 | 270° | 30°03'S | 75°[[?]]2'E | 375 | 3929 | At Sea | K |
| 301200 | 011200 | 14 | 270° | 30°03'S | 67°48'E | 339 | 4268 | At Sea | |
| 011200 | 021200 | 14 | 270° | 29°45'S | 61°35'E | 336 | 4604 | At Sea | L |
| 021200 | 031200 | 15 | 270° | 30°22'S | 55°40'E | 360 | 4964 | At Sea | M |
| 031200 | 041200 | 15 | 270° | 30°23'S | 48°48'E | 378 | 5342 | At Sea | Mc |
| 041200 | 051200 | 14 | 268° | 30°17'S | 41°49'E | 345 | 5687 | At Sea | |
| 051200 | 061200 | 14 | 251° | 31°02'S | 35°52'E | 300 | 5987 | At Sea | N |
| 061200 | 071200 | 12 | 245° | 33°14'S | 28°53'E | 339 | 6326 | At Sea | |
| 071200 | 081200 | 13 | 262° | 34°36'S | 22°47'E | 268 | 6594 | At Sea | O |
| 081200 | 090900 | 12 | 243x | 6837 | Cape Town} At Sea} |
||||
| 090900 | 121200 | 14 | 312° | 29°47'S | 14°01'E | 342 | 7179 | Cape Town} At Sea} |
P |
| 121200 | 131200 | 14 | 324° | 25°15'S | 10°14'E | 335 | 7514 | At Sea | Q |
| 131200 | 141200 | 14 | 324° | 20°50'S | 6°41'E | 337 | 7851 | At Sea | |
| 141200 | 151200 | 13 | 324° | 16°05'S | 3°04'E | 339 | 8190 | At Sea | R |
| 151200 | 161200 | 13 | 324° | 11°44'S | 00°14'W | 312 | 8502 | At Sea | S |
| 161200 | 171200 | 13 | 325° | 07°22'S | 03°08'W | 313 | 8815 | At Sea | |
| 171200 | 181200 | 13 | 325° | 3°05'S | 6°15'W | 312 | 9127 | At Sea | T |
| 181200 | 191200 | 13 | 322° | 01°26' |
09°30'W | 312 | 9439 | At Sea | U |
| 191200 | 201200 | 14 | 320° | 5°45'N | 13°02'W | 325 | 9764 | At Sea | |
| 201200 | 210800 | 260 | 10,024 | At Sea Fremantle |
V | ||||
| 214200 | 220500 | 340 | 10364 | At Sea | W | ||||
| 2200 | Y | ||||||||
| Z |
6
Naval contingent Gen A West Australian
joined Shropshire from their home depots
P.M. 17th Brief drills PM 17 and AM 18th
Thursday 18 Apr 46 MELBOURNE - AT SEA
Weather.
Fine day in morning but became
threatening about 1200 hrs. Except for a
few sprinkles the rain held off & the
weather for the march was on the
whole good.
Breaking
Camp &
Moving to
Assembly Posn
0830. xTps paraded the to receive
embarkation numbers, and 'VF 47. Then
formed up and practiced wheeling in
sixes, which had not hithertoo been
done. 1000 Broken off to complete
final admn arrangements in clearing
up camp and getting ready to move.
1130 Left WATSONIA by M T convoy. The
co-op of the CO & Staff of RR GDD WATSONIA
during stay there was all that could
be desired. It helped immesurably to
get the contingent organised & equipped
in the short time available.
1210 Arrived assembly area in ALBERT
ST between GIBORNE ST & NICHOLSON ST.
RAN & RAAF contingents already there.
Protest.Staged Men staged a protest objecting to
Sjt CURTAINS dismissal from the
contingent at the last moment, & refused
to march unless he was reinstated. Maj
WILLIAMS an talked with them and they
decided to march & defer action
until x the march was over. Meanwhile
Lt Gen HCH Robertson who had arrived
unofficially talked with Brig MOTEN
and it was decided that CURTAIN
would be reinstated if he could
be got on the ship in time. The tps
were informed of this fact beforeembarking leaving assembly area.
At 0xxx7 1240 the contingent was fallen in.
8
9
Order of
March.
in sixes in the following order
Mounted Police
Band
RAN
AMF
RAAF
Mounted Police
No Female personnel of each service
marched in order of their respective
services at normal distances.
Parade
Moves Off.
1258 Maj Gen KW EATHER arrived
and took over the parade. 1300 Contingent
moved off on the following route with
15 paces between services.
Route.
Salute.
Arrival
Embussing Point.
ALBERT ST - NICHOLSON ST - BOURKE
ST - SWANSTON ST - PRINCES
BRIDGE -ALEXANDRA AVE (Embussing
points). Saluting base situated
at the town hall, where His Excellency
the Governor of VICTORIA Maj Gen Sir
WINSTON DUGAN KCMG CB DSO took
the salute. 1320 Arrived embussing
point ALEXANDRA ave. Reasonably
sized crowds lined the whole
route, and their vocal enthusiasm
though different sporadic was good. Much
confetti & many streamers were
Impressions
of March.
thrown. The crowd was well controlled
except from PRINCES BRIDGE
onwards, where the gap left was
inadequate to enable the gap tobe filled the march to continue without
bunching. Noticed particularly
were the number of ex servicemen
who lined the route with their
regimental blazers, their units being
10
11
represented in the contingent.
Reception
at Town Hall.
After passing the saluting base
The Gen EATHER fell out, and
accompanied by BRIG Brig MOTEN
proceeded to the town hall where to
attend a reception given by
Councillor Sir Thomas Nettlefold
acting Lord Mayor of MELBOURNE, in
the Town hall. Among guests present
were HE The Governor of VICTORIA,
Rt Hon WJ DRAKEFORD Minister
for Air, the CGS Lt Gen VHH
STURDEE, - CSG GOC Southern
Comd Lt Gen ROBERTSON, Sir Commandmember Louis HAMILTON 1st Naval
member, and members of the City
Council. The Acting Lord Mayor in
his address complimented the
contingent on their marching and
wished them God Speed. He
also put fwd a suggestion that
GB be invited to send a
contingent for the AUST Victory
March in June. He announced
his intention of putting the
suggestion to parliament. Gen
EATHER in reply thanked the
Acting Lord Mayor for the & the
City of MELBOURNE for
their enthusiastic reception.
Arrived
Port Melbourne.
Embarkation
delayed.
1345 The contingent embussed
& proceed to PRINCES PIER
MELBOURNE. Embarkation inHMS HMAS SHROPSHIRE was
held up for 20 mins, as the
troops refused to embark before
12
13
Embarkation.
Action prior
to sailing.
the arrival of Sjt CURTAIN. When
he arrived the embarkation took
place quickly & smoothly. A greatmany large crowd saw the
departure of the ship, and streamers
flowed from ships side to
wharf. Lt Gen ROBERTSON &
Maj Gen CLOWES came aboard
to pay their respects to Capt HA
SHOWERS ^CBE RAN, Capt of the ship.
Ship Sails.
1600. The ship sailed; with the
ships company & members of the
contingent lining the side.
Accom &
Messing.
Offrs are accommodated on
the Wardroom Flat & in the
Bridge Structure. OR's are
accommodated on the two mens
decks - bedding in the form of
stretchers etc being provided by
the ship. WO's and RAAF Flt/Sjts are
messing in equivalent messes aboard
ship. Sjts and below messing in cafeteria.
OR Female members of all ranks mess
with WC's. Offrs are divided between
Captains mess, wardroom, & gun room.xx Remainder of day was spent in
settling in & learning ships routine.
Command in
Ship
.Senior offrs of HMAS SHROPSHIRE
are as follows:-
| Capt | Capt | HA SHOWERS CBE RAN |
| Commander | Commdr | JC MORROW DSO DSC RAN |
| Commander (E) |
" |
HGD OLIVER RAN |
| " (N) |
" |
JS MESLEY DSC RAN |
| " (S) |
" |
RF HATHERFIELD DSC RAN |
| Surgeon Comd | CE DOWNWARD DSC RAN | |
| " " (D) |
" |
DO SOUTHBY RAN |
| 1st Lieut | LT Comd | JC BA |
1415A
when she left for AUSTRALIA on
12 Aug 46.
24 Sep 43 Arrived FREMANTLE
29 Oct 43 Joined TASK FORCE 74
Dec 43 Supported landing at ARAWE
& Cape GLOUCESTER
2 Mar 44 Bombarded ADMIRALTY ISLANDS
22 Apr 44 " HOLLANDIA
6 May 44 Capt HA SHOWERS RAN assumed
command.
25 May 464 Bombarded BIAK
25 Sep 44 Capt CAG NICHOLS MVO assumed
command
20 Oct 44 Assisted in landing at
LEYTE GULF
3 Jan 45 Bombarded LINGAYEN GULF
16 Feb 45 Bombarded CORREGIDOR ISLAND
30 Nov 45 Arrived SYDNEY for
2nd time in which she had
steamed 50,124 miles in 17 months
& fired 4500 rds of 8 inch & 3,981
of 4 in ammo
Details of Ship
London Class
Armament 8 x 8" guns, 8 x 4" HA guns,
2 4 x - single ^eight barrelled 2pr Pom Poms & 2
11 4 x 3[[?]] 40mm Bofors saluting guns; with a [[?]]amount of 4 x 2" quadruple [[?]] of the [[?]]
Engines Develop 80,000 HP & maximum
speed of 32.646 K
Dimensions Length 632' 9½"
Breadth 66' 0½"
Mean draught 21'
Displacement 13,220 tons.
Once Carried one aircraft and a catapault
amid ships.
15
A brief history of HMAS SHROPSHIRE
is as follows:
Laid Down 24 Feb 27 Launched 5 Jul 28 at
Dockyard of Messers William BEARDMORE &
Coy Ltd DALMUIR SCOTLAND. Named
after county SHROPSHIRE, where people
have always taken a lively interest
in her.
Service with RN31 Aug 31 Carried their Royal Highnesses,
the Prince of Wales & Prince George
from CANNES to MALTA
31 Aug 31 - 25 May 39 Served three
tours in MEDITERRANEAN. In 1936
took park in evacuation of refugees
from BARCELONA during Spanish
Civil War. Carried Wore flag of Rear
Admiral JDH CUNNINGHAM CB MVO
between 19 Sep 38 - 25 May 39
3 Sep 39. Patrol work in ATLANTIC Ocean
1940. Patrol & escort work in
INDIAN Ocean
Mar 42 Returned ATLANTIC Ocean
It was then decided to hand
SHROPSHIRE over to RAN, to replace
HMAS AUSTRALIA CANBERRA
At this stage she had steamed
364,000 miles of which nearly 220,000
had been travelled since the outbreak
of war.
Service with RAN.
25 Jun 43 Officially handed over
to RAN, Capt JA COLLINS CB RAN
assumed command
12 Aug 43 H M the KING inspected the
ship, and signalled God speed
16
17
Friday 19 Apr 46. AT SEA.
Weather.
Cloudy with good visibility. xx
Smooth sea with long low swell. Routine
for voyage was published to
commence as from 20 Apr 46.
Routine.
0725 Breakfast Sjts & ORs.
0800 Breakfast WOs
0900-1130 Parade111200 Dinner Sjts & ORs
1230 Dinner WOs
1400-1500 Parade
1600 Tea all ranks
1800 Supper WOs
1830 Supper Sjts & ORs
Church Parade
Commander
addresses Contingent
1030hrs. Muster parade. 1045 Church
parade all ranks. R.Cs paraded
separately. At conclusion of church
parade the Captain ^Commander spoke to all
members of the contingent. He pointed
out that we would be living together
for months - that he wished the
Contingent to enjoy themselves as
much as possible - and that it was
vitally necessary for co-op between
all services. He urged every bodys
co-operation in xx enforcing the
rules and customs of the ship. He
then mentioned several of the more
important points to observe in this
respect.
Offr
Casualties.
Capt WIER xx evacuated sick
bay with malaria. Lt STARMER
assumed duties of Adjt in his
absence. Lt PECK evacuated tohospital sick bay with sore throat.
Position.
1200. Speed 15.2 Knots Course
271 °(G) Distance since leaving MELBOURNE.
18
19
310 miles latitude 38 ° 50 ' S Longitude
139 ° 26 ' E (Gfc). 1310hrs. Exchanged
identities with Athlone Castle. 1400
Dress.
Admin parade to ration hang good
SD Uniforms in w room provided.
These will NOT be worn on voyage.O "Off the peg" SD to be used after 1700
hrs nightly.
Sea Sickness.
Incidence of Sea Sickness
slight as yet - much higher
amongst men women than women men.
1615 On approximatley the same
latitude as Watsonia ADELAIDE
Admin.RA Remainder of day passed in
typing up minor admin. This is not
an easy task as owing to the
extent which Tps are spread
out within ship. Good use is
made of the ships P.A system. The
Co-op of
RAN
It has become apparent early
that all ranks of HMAS SHROPSHIREwere are doing their utmost to
help iron out the multitudinous
difficulties which have been
encountered.
Clocks
Retarded19 1830 hrs. Retarded Clocks 1 hr,
giving in effect 25 hrs sailing
time during the day.
20
unpracticable
21
Saturday 20 Apr. AT SEA
Weather.
Fine wintery cloudy day. strong
wind & quiet sea.
Parade.
0900 Commenced first trg aboard
ship. Platoons paraded in diamond
formation by pls on torpedo decksuamid ships. Although it may be
possible to attain voice control
on windless day, all info had
to be passed to each pl 0905
Palandine.
Inspection. of 0925. Palandine Paludrine administered
by pls. It is the intention to issue
it each Saturday & Monday during
the trip for all personnel who
have seen tropical service.
Lining Ship
0 940 Practiced lining ship. It was
found that the whole AMF contingent
could fit for'd on starboard side
B deck, leaving port side free for
RAAF. Unfortunately impractable to
leave every man uncovered 1020.
Rifle Exercises
Rifler exercises - practically
impossible to get any benefit out
of these owing to difficulty of
voice control & inability f in
most men to keep a firm footing
Captain's
Inspection.
on the deck. 1045. Captains inspection
accompanied by Gen EATHER. All
ranks remained in approx
dressing ship position on B
deck throughout inspection. 1115. Captains
Inspection concluded. 1117. Cleaned
rifles, returned to armoury, and
broke off. Instrs issued that
Webbing.
all webbing will be blancoed by
Monday in readiness for march
through PERTH. This will take place
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