Double Event

ONE day in 1937, young H. S.

Wynne (a resident of Rabaul, as Vacuum Oil Co. manager for New Guinea and the Islands, and then temporarily in Melbourne) received a letter signed “H. S.

Wynne”, and enclosing another letter, addressed to “H. S. Wynne”.

The first letter said : “This has been delivered to me; but clearly is intended for someone else. You appear to be the party indicated.

I did not think there was another ‘H. S. Wynne’ in captivity”.

The Rabaul Wynne wrote and thanked the Melbourne Wynne, and remarked on the coincidence that their initials should be the same.

“My Christian names are Herbert Sydney—What are yours?” asked Rabaul Wynne.

Back came the answer. “Believe it or not”, wrote the Melbourne Wynne “my full name also is Herbert Sydney Wynne”.

After that, there had to be a meeting, and they have been friends ever since.

The Melbourne Wynne was a son of Watkin Wynne, well known in the Sydney of 50 years ago as general manager of the old Daily Telegraph (and succeeded in that office, incidentally, in 1921, by the present publisher of “Pacific Islands Monthly”). He was for many years the chief engineer of the Melbourne “Herald” group of newspapers, and now lives in retirement in Melbourne.

The Rabaul Wynne, after World War 11, was seconded from Vacuum to Australian Petroleum Co. (boring for oil in Papua) and now is that company’s representative in Sydney.