Merchant Navy South Australia

People came from as far away as Leigh Creek, the desert town 567 kilometres north of Adelaide, to see the first ever Anzac Eve tribute to the merchant navy. Many of those who were there launched paper lifeboats with the name of their great grandfather or grandfather who served in World War One or World War Two. A fleet of about 500 paper lifeboats were made by schoolchildren and launched on the Port River.

Anzac Eve photos by Sama Reid, Publications Officer Port Adelaide Enfield.

Port Adelaide schools are getting involved in our ANZAC Eve commemoration and the media are beginning to take notice. Here's the coverage from The Advertiser, Adelaide's daily newspaper.

Tribute of candles in the wind

Miniature Navy: North Haven Schools students Meghan and, clockwise from front, David, Thomas, Cheyanne and Chloe with their boats.

Picture: Sarah Reed The Advertiser

Story by Callie Watson The Advertiser

His great-grandfather fought in World War I and North Haven Schools student Chris plans to remember him in spectacular style.

The 12-year-old is one of hundreds of students in the Port Adelaide area constructing paper boats to commemorate the merchant navy's role at Gallipoli.

A fleet of 500 paper boats holding candles to represent Australians involved in the famous battle will be launched into the Port River on April 24. It is part of the Light on the Water event at the biennial Port Festival.

Chris will write his great-grandfather's name on the side of his boat. "I think it's a good way to remember him and what he did," he said.

Merchant Navy Association of SA vice-president John Williams helped more than 300 students at North Haven Schools to make the boats yesterday.

"The students are very excited and interested in the history behind the paper boats and what they represent," he said.

Year 1 student Meghan, 6, is looking forward to seeing her boat sail as part of the stunning display. "I think it will be fun," she said.

UNIQUE EVENT ON ANZAC EVE

Merchant Navy Association SA is involved in organising and staging a unique event marking a major chapter in the history of Port Adelaide will be staged on Anzac Eve April 24 on the Port River during Port Adelaide Festival 2007.

Gallipoli Lifeboats involves the making by school students of individual paper boats which when launched on the Port River near Lighthouse Square will each contain a lighted candle symbolising the Gallipoli landing.

Queens Wharfat 7 pm: Commentary on the Paper Boats event and its significance and a welcome by the Mayor of Port Adelaide Enfield, Gary Johanson. Introduction of Merchant Navy veterans and dignitaries.

7.30 pm: Local schoolchildren launch a fleet of paper boats bearing lighted candles on the Port River near Lighthouse Square. The candles will represent all who served at Gallipoli. A short prayer and blessing of the paper boats by the Rev David Ingleton from the Uniting Church followed by a lament by lone piper Don MacAuley.

We in Australia and New Zealand commemorate April 25 as ANZAC Day, setting aside the day to remember and to pay homage to our fallen comrades.

This day was born out of Gallipoli, but how many of us are aware of the involvement of the Merchant Navy in that campaign? Australian merchant ships took all of our troops from Australian ports to Gallipoli, and in many cases landed our troops on the beach at ANZAC Cove in the ships’ lifeboats. These were manned by merchant seamen, who also came under the deadly fire from the Turkish guns.

The great majority of wounded at Gallipoli were taken in the ships’ lifeboats with merchant seamen again manning the oars to hospital ships waiting offshore.

The same merchant ships evacuated most of our troops from Gallipoli to Alexandria, Lemnos and Cyprus and then transported the wounded home to Australia.

http://www.anzacday.org.au/

TROOPS LEAVE FROM PORT ADELAIDE

Many of 134 troopships that transported Australians to the battlefields of World War One embarked from Port Adelaide.

Troop transports were requisitioned by the Australian Government for transporting the AIF overseas but in addition to carrying troops, horses and military stores they also carried wool, metals, meat, flour and other foodstuffs, mainly for Britain and France. The fleet consisted mainly of British steamers and a few captured enemy ships.

MERCHANT NAVY LOSSES

It is not widely known that about 6.5 per cent of all Merchant Navy personnel died on Second World War service, a higher percentage than any other Service, and that during the Allied recapture of the Philippine Islands there were more Merchant Navy casualties than those of all other Services combined.

Of the seventy six merchant ships lost in Australian waters to mines, torpedoes, shelling and bombing, twenty-nine were Australian. The number of Australian merchant seamen lost on all the oceans will probably never be known. There are no war cemeteries to mark the passing of many of them.

http://www.merchant-navy-ships.com/

Norm Anderson, President of the Merchant Navy Association South Australia, and his partner Margaret Adair were special guests at a Vindicatrix Association SA meeting.
Norm addresses the meeting while Vindicatrix Asssociation SA Skipper Tony Iles looks on.
The two associations are going to work together on staging of social and sporting events and the maritime theme for the Port Adelaide Festival 2007.


The new Merchant Navy Veteran badge now available by completing form available on the Merchant Navy Association website at www.mna.org.uk