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Letters
Two photos of HMAS Canberra sailors including Walter James Elliget Hi Mack. I hope this finds you well. From the look of your Ahoy postings, you've had a busy month or two. I enjoyed your articles and photos of your visit to Honolulu. What a great experience it must have been after all these years! On my last visit home to Sorrento, dad surprised me with a couple of old navy photos I hadn't seen before. First one is a group of thirteen young ratings (including dad, bottom row far left) that I suspect was taken shortly after they had all first joined HMAS Canberra on the 18th of June 1940 in Sydney (around the same time that Captain Harold Bruce Farncomb assumed command). On the reverse side, there are the signatures of five of the ratings as well as my dad's: Clayton BRAY (ON 23861, b.1921 Moonta SA), Alan BURT (ON 23746, b.1922, Maryville NSW), Albert L. CHARLES (ON 23872, b.1922, Albert Park VIC), Ernest A. WAUGH (ON 23870, b.1921, Paddington NSW), Frederick Kingsford VINE (ON 23879, b.1922, Stanmore NSW) and dad, Walter James ELLIGET (ON 23875, b.1922, Richmond VIC).
The second photo is dad (2nd from left) and three other sailors at a café or hotel probably somewhere in the USA. Dad thinks it may have been taken when travelling across America to join the HMAS Shropshire for the first time, so late 1942 or 1943. The only other person dad recognises is Len Lingard (ON B4327, b.1925 Brisbane QLD), the smiling sailor on the far right. Dad and Len shared the same birth date (Dad was exactly 3 years older).
If you would like to put these up on Ahoy, please feel free. It would be good to hear from anyone recognising any of the faces or the names above. Kind regards, Martin Elliget
Thank you for the two photos, by a cc to Terry we will add them to AHOY, with your E-Mail and see if we get any response. You are right our visit to USS Missouri was just amazing, and we were really looked after on board her, stuff for the memory bank. Good to hear from you Martin. Best regards, |
