The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (PM3393) Assistant Cook Ronald Charles Roberts, HMAS Sydney (II), Second World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Gerard Pratt, the story for this day was on (PM3393) Assistant Cook Ronald Charles Roberts, HMAS Sydney (II), Second World War.

PM3393 Assistant Cook Ronald Charles Roberts, HMAS Sydney (II)
KIA 20 November 1941
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 30 April 2014

Today we remember Assistant Cook Ronald Charles Roberts and the ship's company of HMAS Sydney (II), lost after engaging the German surface raider Kormoran in 1941.

A modified Leander-class light cruiser, Sydney was armed with eight 6-inch guns and was the pride of the Royal Australian Navy. Built in England, the cruiser was commissioned into the RAN in 1935, boasting a mixture of ages and experiences.

Known as "Lloyd", Ronald Roberts was born in Swan Hill, Victoria, on 8 January 1920. He was the youngest son of Robert and Jessie Roberts. Lloyd worked in a munitions factory before joining the navy in February 1941, just after his 21st birthday. He was six-and-a-quarter feet or 190 centimetres tall with auburn hair, blue eyes, and a fresh complexion. When he enlisted, he also had a sister serving as a nurse overseas, and a brother in the army.

After completing his initial training at HMAS Cerberus, Roberts was posted to Sydney in early October 1941. His time at sea, however, would be all too brief.

On 19 November Sydney was steaming back to Fremantle, having escorted a troopship part of the way to Singapore. At about 4 pm the cruiser spotted a suspicious merchant ship and decided to investigate. By 5.30 pm Sydney had almost drawn alongside the vessel when it revealed its true identity as a German raider.

Hoisting the German naval ensign, Kormoran opened fire with its guns and torpedoes. Its first salvo slammed into Sydney's bridge. The Australian cruiser returned fire, but Kormoran's second and third salvos again hit Sydney's bridge and amidships. The cruiser's three main turrets were soon out of action, but the fourth kept up fast and accurate fire that hit the raider's funnel and engine room. Sydney, in turn, was hit by a torpedo between turrets. Mortally damaged and ablaze, Sydney turned away from the raider but continued to fight, using its secondary armament and torpedoes.

Kormoran was also burning. At 6.25 pm its captain gave the order to abandon ship. As the German sailors evacuated their stricken vessel, they watched the Australian cruiser, now only a distant glow on the dark horizon, disappear into the night.

By midnight, Sydney was gone, lost with all 645 hands, including Roberts. He was 21 years old. On the fifth anniversary of his death, the Roberts family placed an in-memoriam notice in the newspaper that read simply,

"He was so dear to us."

Roberts is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in Britain. His name is also listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with around around 40,000 others from the Second World War. There is no photograph in the Memorial's collection to display beside the Pool of Reflection.

We now remember Assistant Cook Ronald Charles Roberts, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.