| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2020.22.301 |
| Collection number | MSS1226 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | Wallet |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Papers |
| Physical description | 7 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Bowyer-Smyth, Philip Weyland Clifford, Leslie Edward Stuart |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Digital format and content protected by copyright. |
| Source credit to | This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government. |
Wallet 1 of 1 - A poem by Leslie Edward Stuart Clifford and a letter from Sir Philip Weyland Bowyer-Smyth, 1941
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of J90808 M602 Signalman Leslie Edward Stuart Clifford, HMAS Stuart, and Captain Sir Philip Weyland Bowyer-Smyth, HMAS Perth, 1941.
Wallet 1 of 1 - Contains a poem titled "The Grey Old Lady" by Leslie Edward Stuart Clifford that outlines the service of HMAS Stuart up to mid-1941. The 73-stanza poem covers the First World War origins of HMAS Stuart, her early Second World War service in Australia, her role in the Mediterranean and many of her most notable contributions as leader of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla. The poem references events including the Battle of Bardia, the Western Desert Campaign, the Battle of Calabria, scuppering the Italian submarine Gondar, hosting Prime Minister Robert Menzies at Alexandria, the Battle of Cape Matapan, the evacuation of Allied troops from Greece and Crete and the "Tobruk Ferry Service".
The collection also includes a typescript farewell letter from Captain Philip Bowyer-Smyth to the Officers, Petty Officers and Men of HMAS Perth dated 2 September 1941, the day after Bowyer-Smyth relinquished command of the ship.