Sunday, 14 April 2024
Rookwood Cemetery, Rookwood
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales

Thank you, David.[1]

I also acknowledge the Dharug people[2], the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet today.

Merchant Navy Veterans, Board Members of the Memorial Fund, representatives of merchant navy and maritime organisations, ADF members and all gathered here to honour the contribution of our merchant navy,

Today is a particularly significant service in this location. Those that have come previously will have already noticed the wonderful work that has been undertaken to enhance the look and safety of the memorial over the past months and the timely inclusion of these four beautiful stone tablets. Together they are a record of the names and respective ships of 864 Australian merchant mariners who sacrificed their lives for their country in the first and second World Wars.

And so, at this 59^th Annual Commemoration we again honour all those who served in the merchant navy during those wars, the survivors and the fallen. Their stories, too often untold, tell of a contribution that was vital for victory.

It is reported that the first casualty of World War 1 was a merchant seaman, whose ship was sunk by gunfire from a German submarine in the North Atlantic. It was a similar story in the second World War, when a U-boat sank the liner Athenia off the coast of Ireland, with a heavy loss of crew and passengers.[3]

Throughout the wars merchant ships were used to carry military personnel, equipment and supplies to wherever they were needed. They were generally lightly armed, if armed at all, even though they carried heavy and often highly combustible cargo. Merchant mariners served on all manner of vessels including hospital ships, passenger liners, troopships, ocean going tugs, cargo ships and fishing boats.

From the merchant ships that took all of our troops to Gallipoli, through to those that took part in the horrors of Atlantic convoys of the Second World War, which saw nearly 3,000 Allied and neutral shops sunk by enemy action[4], the contribution of the Australian merchant navy was both invaluable and costly.

During one of the most stark and blunt radio broadcasts of the war, Prime Minister John Curtin, singled out the role of merchant mariners. He said:

Have you ever contemplated what would be Australia's position if the `lend-lease life-line' with America was snapped? You do know that you can't get many things you used to buy, because there are not the ships to bring those things here. But have you paused to realize what would be our plight if nothing at all could be brought here? When you think about that, think of the men of the merchant navy; and every time you see a man wearing the badge on his civilian coat take off your hat to him. He does not wear a uniform, as we know uniforms, but nevertheless he wears a uniform of service without which we would, indeed, be lost. [5]

What a difference they made, and, what a price they paid.

Towards the end of the Second World War another group of people were looking to make a difference, to ensure that the sacrifice of merchant mariners would not be forgotten. This group was working hard to raise funds for a Merchant Navy Memorial.

In July of 1945 the Daily Commercial News and Shipping List reported, during a meeting at the Sydney Town Hall, that a committee had been formed to appeal for funds for a Merchant War Memorial in the form of a Mariner’s Club in Sydney.

The Chairman, Mr Justice Street spoke eloquently at the meeting. He said:

On the men of the Merchant Navy in this war fell the burden of keeping intact the lifelines of the Empire. There was no glamour attached to their job. They were under constant threat from the air, sea, and under the sea, and the only headlines they received were “Another ship lost’ or ‘More cargo gone.” In Sydney there should be some tribute to the men of the Merchant Navy who have given their lives at the call of duty.[6]

A little over two years later, in November 1947, the Daily Mirror carried an article[7] that noted that the Directors of the Merchant Navy Memorial Appeal had purchased premises at 387 Kent St, and that “a portion of Rookwood Cemetery has also been acquired and a memorial will be raised there.”

This garden that we stand in this morning was granted to the fund by the Church of England Cemetery Trust and the stone wall and columbarium were paid for by the fund.

The ongoing maintenance of this area, including the beautiful memorial rose garden continues to be undertaken by The Rookwood Cemetery.

On Sunday, the 16^th of May 1948, this Merchant Navy Memorial was dedicated in a service conducted by the Right Reverend W G Hilliard. I expect it was not a subdued affair. The Rector of St John’s Parramatta, then in his early 60’s had developed into something of a media personality. The Australian Dictionary of Biography records that:

Tall, with a mane of flowing, silver hair and a rich, resonant voice, he had his own radio programme on 2UW and appeared on such television shows as 'Meet the Press'.[8]

Figuratively, the torch of remembrance has continued to burn brightly since that service of dedication, thanks to the ongoing contribution of many committed individuals determined to make a difference in furthering recognition of the significant role played by the Australian Merchant Navy in the two world wars.

The plaque on the columbarium celebrates one of those individuals, Mr Harold Gordon Solomon[9]. He ‘passed the bar’ in 2008, at 85 years of age, having spent more than 50 years working to achieve symbolic and practical recognition of the contribution of the merchant navy. The Sydney Morning Herald, in his obituary, noted that he became “a father figure for what he called ‘the merchant navy fraternity’, binding them through social events and his endless, cheerful welfare work with the sick and frail.”

Continuing to build on the work of those that have gone before are the people responsible for this commemoration service and the new and remedial works that I am proud to officially open today. I thank you David, as Chairman, and all the Board Members of the Merchant Navy War Memorial Fund.

I also acknowledge the many professionals and tradespeople involved and highlight the strong partnership between the Fund and Metropolitan Memorial Parks which has been instrumental in the realisation of these wonderful improvements.

It is now 82 years since John Curtin made his radio broadcast in one of the darkest periods of the second world war. Just as he encouraged his listeners, we join today with those then and in the decades ever since who honour the men of the merchant navy.

May I repeat:

He does not wear a uniform, as we know uniforms, but nevertheless he wears a uniform of service without which we would, indeed, be lost.

Lest we forget.

[1] MC – David Field, Chairman, The Merchant Navy War Memorial Fund Ltd

[2] https://www.rookwoodcemetery.com.au/timeline

[3] https://anzacday.org.au/ww2-the-unsung-heroes-of-the-sea

[4] ibid

[5] https://john.curtin.edu.au/diary/primeminister/fulltext/fulltext%20prime%20minister_1942_3.html

[6] https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/162860103

[7] https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/273194261

[8] https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hilliard-william-george-10505

[9] https://www.smh.com.au/national/merchant-man-a-fighter-for-rights-20080609-gdsh44.html