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Letters
Robert Halley Kirkwood (known as Hal) served on Canberra from May '41 until she was sunk in '42 By way of introduction, my name is Vic Kirkwood, and I believe we share a common interest in HMAS Canberra. My father Robert Halley Kirkwood (known as Hal) also served on Canberra from May '41 until she was sunk in '42. Dad was an AB Gunner and Canberra was his first ship after training at Cerberus (he joined in Sep '40). I'm kicking myself now for failing to take the time to properly record Dad's history (particularly his RAN service) before he died (in 1988); accordingly, my knowledge/understanding of his service experiences are clouded by childhood recollections. I have a copy of his RAN service record but many of the entries are too faded and indecipherable. Fortunately, with a military background I can make more sense of their contents than many. What I do know of his experience on that fateful night was that he was in one of the 8" gun crews -what turret I'm unsure but I suspect it was either A or B. I make this assumption as he was part of the team who carried the Captain off the bridge; hence, I'm guessing that his damage control station would have been close to the bridge. I do recall that he said that he had transferred to the 8" crew from one of the 4" crews 48hrs before the attack and that all of his former 4" crew were killed during the action. His 8" action station was below decks; therefore, I further presume that he was operating a shell elevator. He recalled the call to action stations when he was flattened by the first blast, he was then trapped below decks for some time. He, like everyone else who survived the action, was of the opinion that Canberra was hit by a torpedo. He was particularly 'peeved' at the loss of his kit - I notice on his record that in Nov '43, he was reimbursed 25 pounds 19 shillings and threepence! Dad didn't go on to serve on HMAS Shropshire but rather changed ratings to Joiner IV (he was a carpenter in civvie-street) and went on to serve in New Guinea. His service record shows postings to such places as Basilisk, Ladvana, Milne Bay, Morobe, Buna, and Balasana during the period '43-'44. I have an interesting momento on my bookshelf - it's a 37MM shell casing with a tropical scene engraving and inscribed 'Buna Xmas 1943' with the names of dad and 3 others. I know that during this time, dad worked on motor torpedo boats. Dad was demobbed in mid'46 but remained in the RANVR until '52. He only left the RANVR because my mother was hospitalized for over two years and he had to look after my sister and me. He came home with malaria and middle-ear damage. He wasn't supposed to climb ladders or work at heights (due to dizzy spells) but as a carpenter/builder that was a bit hard to comply with. He loved the Navy and I suspect he regretted leaving the service but his example inspired me to enter the military (I joined the RAAF and served for 23 years). Dad called me a 'blue orchid' but was nonetheless pleased with my career choice. A couple of years' ago, I made contact with the Brisbane branch of the HMAS Canberra/Shropshire Assoc and went to several of their gatherings. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity reintroduce you to a former shipmate - my hero, my father. Regards,
How nice to hear from you. There are not too many HMAS Canberra survivors left now, I am 85 and hopefully still going strongly. AHOY keeps me busy and its always a bonus to hear from people like your good self. Your father must have served in either A or B turret crews as the intense fires prevented anyone from moving from the fore part of the ship aft. Below decks for his action station probably meant he was in the shell handling room for one of the fore turrets, he was lucky to have been moved as the 4 inch gun crews were devasted as the incoming shells from the Japanese cruisers landed in that area. I have a complete list of the ship's crew at the time of Savo and your father is listed on Page 5 of Sailors uninjured, and his entry reads:
The prefix B, to his official number, as you probably know indicates he was a wartime entry and enlisted at Brisbane. I too lost all of my belongings, my cabin was on the starboard side aft of the upper deck, and although I kept a small panic bag packed with a few treasures, I was unable to penetrate the fierce fires to collect it, and thus everything went down with the ship. The term Blue Orchards for RAAF members in WW2 was that used by sailors in the RAN because of the airforce uniform colour. The Gold Coast branch of the Canberra/Shropshire Association has recently disbanded as numbers have depleted, but here in Victoria, we are still going, and I happen to be their President, our annual reunion will be held at the Mount Waverely RSL club rooms on October 23rd. next. Should you ever get to Melbourne, would love to meet you and have a good yak. Again, thanks for taking the trouble to write Vic. Best regards, Mac. |
