| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR86/145 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | 15 folders |
| Object type | Diary, Letter, Papers |
| Maker |
Howden, Harry Leslie |
| Date made | 1917-1969 |
| Access | Open |
| Related File This file can be copied or viewed via the Memorial’s Reading Room. | AWM315 419/048/082 |
| Conflict |
Period 1950-1959 Period 1960-1969 Second World War, 1939-1945 First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required. |
Howden, Harry Leslie (Captain, Royal Australian Navy, CBE b.1896 - d.1969)
Description
Collection of official and personal papers. Material relates to Captain Howden's command of HMAS Albatros, Stuart, Vampire, Canberra, Yarra, Adelaide and Hobart. Includes speeches, war diaries, signals, particularly of commands in the Second World War. Also includes a naval signal log covering Armistice November 1918-December 1918. Inter war period is also documented. See also PR86/093.
Howden initially joined the Royal Naval Reserve in 1915 as a midshipman, before transferring to the Royal Australian Navy and joining HMAS "Sydney" in December 1917. He served on many ships and shore establishments in Australia, and in 1930 on exchange with the Royal Navy, he commanded the gunboat "Mantis" which operated on the Yangtze River, China. In 1939 he commanded HMAS "Hobart" and supervised the evacuation of British Somaliland. HMAS "Hobart" also took part in the relief of Australians at Tobruk, the fall of Singapore, and the battle of the Coral Sea.