Successful Goodwill Tour

Of Australia

“John Williams VI” is Visited by Thousands of Australians

THE 400-ton LMS ship “John Williams VI” received an enthusiastic welcome in Australian capital cities in March and April when she was on a tour of goodwill. The tour was originally de signed to show Australian Sunday-school children “their ship”—all the ships of the John Williams line have been purchased with money contributed by the Sunday school children of the United Kingdom and Australasia. But this trim little white and blue ship flying the LMS flag (a purple pennant bearing a white dove of peace) has appealed to the imagination of adults as well, and in every capital port thousands visited het.

The ship is manned by a Gilbertese crew and, while in Australian ports, was carrying Polynesian missionaries on their way home for leave after service in Papua Crew and passengers entered into the spirit of the goodwill tour and delighted their visitors with native songs and dances.

Master of the ship is Captain Stanton Page who is well known to all Eastern Pacific residents. In November, 1943. he and Captain G. J. Webster of Fiji, piloted the American invasion fleet through the narrow reefs of Tarawa lagoon and so helped materially in the capture of Betio by US Marines. For this Captain Page a nd Captain Webster were subsequently awarded the US Bronze Star for con spicuous service. . To-day however, Captain Page is more lr k *} i£ L P° cket “battleship of peace, the sixth John Williams of her line Sins C ?L^ I l 0 H ti i er John Williams name d.f. or the pioneer missionary), fe Vo imf en sailm S tb e seas for the LMS for 105 years. “John Williams V” was wrecked on a reef off Western Samol during bad weather, in December 1948 “John Wiiliams VI” Was then SiherWay out from England to her base in Suva fh-mcess Margaret named the ship aT a ceremony in London last August