Book Review

Small Ships In World War Ii

A SMALL book about small ships at tached to the RAN in World War 11, has recently been written by Lloyd Rhys and nublished by Georgian House Pty., Ltd., Melbourne. Called “My Ship is So Small” (from a Breton fisherman’s prayer: “O God, be good to me ... Thy sea is so wide and my ship is so small.”) it tells the story of the converted luxury motor cruisers which joined the Navy as the Naval Auxiliary Patrol and of the Fairmiles; how the Naval Auxiliary Patrol first came into being and the service it gave once it came under the wing of the RAN and went as far afield as Dar win and Timor,, and to New Guinea, Cape Gloucester, Madang, Aitape and over the Dutch Border and beyond.

Mr. Rhys spent some time in New Guinea before the war and has written at some length of the New Guinea phase in the operations of these auxiliary craft.

His book, which is well written, should appeal to all lovers of small ships and those interested in the history of yet another chapter in the winning of World War 11.

The book was authorised and written by the permission of members of the Royal Naval Board. Retail price is 9/-, at leading booksellers.

Former Governor of Fiji, Major-General Sir Philip Mitchell, in the 1947 New Year Honours, was raised from the rank of KCMG to that of GCMG. He is now Governor of Kenya Colony.

Mr. R. N. Caldwell, MC, a District Com missioner in Fiji, who received the CMG in the New Year Honours has been spend ing leave in New Zealand.

Dr. A. S. Frater, recently appointed principal of the Medical School in Suva, Fiji, was awarded the MBE, in the New Year Honours, for medical and public ser vices in New Hebrides.

Mr. and Mrs. B. C. Cartland passed through Sydney in March, en route from Nigeria to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, where he is to be Chief Commis sioner of Lands. Their headquarters, for the present, will be at Tarawa—later, when the “capital” is removed, at Abe mama. Their two small children have been placed in school in New Zealand.

Mr. B. B. Perriman, director of W. R.

Carpenter & Co. who has been making a tour of inspection of the company’s in terests in New Guinea, for the past 2i months, has returned to Sydney. He is not altogether downhearted as to the pos sibilities of New Guinea’s rehabilitation, after an interview with the Administrator at Port Moresby.

Mr. G. Bowen-Jones returned to Sydney recently after a survey of the Morobe dis trict, New Guinea. He expects to return to New Guinea and to settle in the Pinsch haven area.

Mr. Jock McEwen, who met with a severe accident some months ago in Lae, New Guinea, and was admitted to hos pital in Sydney, is making good progress.

Mr. L. N. White, a driller engaged by the Australian Petroleum Company at their bore in Kariava, Papua, arrived in Sydney in March from Fort Moresby. He will later go on to England, on leave.

Judge Egan, of the Condominium Court in the New Hebrides, has returned to Vila after spending some time in Sydney.

This old photograph (which has been loaned to us by Mrs. Alice Allen Innes) has caused general interest among former residents of Lae and Salamaua (New Guinea). The photograph was taken in 1932, apparently on the occasion of a cricket match between teams from the two townships. The names of the men shown could well serve as a New Guinea quiz — 15 years bring many changes.

With the help of Mr. and Mrs. E. Haynes (he is now with Adastra Airways, Sydney) and Mr. W. Mitchell, formerly of Burns Philp and now with the War Damage Commission in Sydney, and others, we have been abe to place most of them. Perhaps readers can fill in the omissions. We alopogise if there are any incorrect initials; it appears that men are more often remembered by their nicknames than by those their parents gave them.

Beginning from the ton of the plane the men are: W. Wiltshire( with nine)

THESE WERE LAE-SALAMAUA RESIDENTS IN 1932 —DO YOU REMEMBER THEM?

(No. 2 unknown), T. Garrard, N. Weston (nursing child), A. Sharp or A. J.

Wilson (?), O. Priebe, E. Priebe.

Standing: W. Mitchell, G. Russell, R. Gurney, S. Clark (with dustcoat), M.

Freeman (felt hat), (No. 6 in row unknown), A. W. D. Mullins (head only), T. Collins (with can), H. Johns, Eric Feldt, D. Boyd (head only), lan H. Grabow sky (with cap), B. Heath (in front Grabowsky), E. Knight (Nos. 15 and 16 in row unknown), J. Gething (head only), N. Johnson (straw hat), C. Gatenby, (No. 20 in row unknown —Ferries (?)), F. Mitchell, W. Ferguson, W. N. Robertson, S. Marshall, L. Stewart, R. Martin.

Seated: (No. 1 in row unknown), W. W. Cameron, N. Spence. S. Mason (head only I Bassott D Wallaee F.Red) H [?] [?]