Perth Voice Interactive

A MEMORIAL commemorating the tragic loss of the HMAS Perth (I) off Java in World War II has opened in East Fremantle, while a major exhibition at the WA Maritime Museum explores the cultural impact of the wreck.

The memorial was opened on Saturday by WA governor Chris Dawson and current HMAS Perth (III) commander Dylan White in front of a large crowd which included WA veterans issues minister Paul Papalia, a former naval officer himself.

“Eighty three years ago on this day, of the 681 men aboard the HMAS Perth (I) – including personnel from the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, and four personnel from the ship’s canteen – came up against seemingly impossible odds,” Mr Dawson said.

Noting the ship had almost run out of fuel and ammo during an earlier battle, Mr Dawson said they were steaming in the Sunda Strait when they came up against an entire Japanese landing fleet.

“Despite the exhaustion from the previous battle, and the slenderness of the chances of victory, HMAS Perth, her captain and crew put up an astonishing and gallant fight.”

Both the HMAS Perth (I) and the USS Houston went down in the battle, losing more than 1000 crew, while survivors were imprisoned in the notorious Changi prison and worked on the torturous Thai-Burma railway.

Mr Dawson said the shock of the loss rippled through until today.

“But as of today, this memorial stands as a physical testament to their bravery and sacrifice, in an enduring remembrance.”

Cmdr White also spoke of the significance of the ships’ loss.

“With HMAS Perth, and the loss of Perth in 1941 being such a moment, both for Australia, but also for the city of Perth… to have these gentlemen remembered in a memorial such as this is both an honour to them, but also to the city,” Cmdr White said.

Colin Bancroft’s father Arthur was a surviving crew member who worked on the Thai-Burma railway and was being transported to Japan for further internment as a prisoner of war when that ship also went down in battle. He survived six days adrift before finally being rescued by a US submarine and returning to Australia.

“The reason that this memorial is important is because the crew of the HMAS Perth who didn’t survive the war, they’re not located in one place like the HMAS Sydney – they’re all off Geraldton in one place,” Mr Bancroft said.

East Fremantle mayor Jim O’Neill said his council was proud to have such a significant memorial on its turf.

“Staff, councillors and members of the East Fremantle community have worked tirelessly to support the construction of the HMAS Perth (I) memorial,” Mr O’Neill said.

“It’s a story which must be told of the tragic loss of the HMAS Perth (I) and the triumph, bravery and endurance of those on board.”

The exhibition, Remembering the Men of HMAS Perth (I), was due to open today (March 8) and runs until July 27.

Memorial publicist David Nicolson said a highlight of the exhibition would be a model of the Perth built by German POWs at the Harvey detention camp in 1942 which would be on display for the first time.

“It is believed that the model, made from cigarette tins, was probably built by survivors of the German raider Kormoran,” Mr Nicolson said.

“This exhibition unpacks some of the ways HMAS Perth (I) has been memorialised over time, and how the vessel and its crew continue to have a presence in various aspects of WA life.

“Such aspects include the HMAS Perth (I) Regatta, the annual remembrance ceremony at the St John the Evangelist Church in Fremantle, and now the HMAS Perth (I) memorial in East Fremantle.

by STEVE GRANT