Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Leslie YOUNG, was born in the small northern NSW country town of Emmaville, on the 21st May 1900, to mother Catherine Wells and Father Traugott Young.

Arthur’s father was employed by the (then) NSW Post Master General’s Department, and held appointment as Post Master in a number of small NSW country towns, where Arthur spent his childhood years, such as: Emmaville, Gulgong, and Gundagai.

At just over 14 years of age, and shortly after the commencement of World War 1 in August 1914, Arthur (with permission from his parents) joined the Royal Australian Navy, with the rank of “Boy – 2nd Class” to the RAN training ship HMAS Tingira. Arthur served in the RAN during WW & WW2, having an accumulative period of 26 years of service.

HMAS Tingira

Arthur’s first posting was to the training ship HMAS Tingira, was originally laid down as the Sobraon, the original design provided for composite sail and steam propulsion, however, the latter was not incorporated and the ship was completed as a three masted clipper relying solely on sail. After carrying cargo and passengers between the UK and Australia for many years she was purchased by the NSW government in 1891. Moored off Cockatoo Island (Sydney Harbour), and under the control of the New South Wales State Welfare Department she was used as a reformatory or Nautical School Ship for wayward boys until 1911.

In 1911 Sobraon was purchased by the Commonwealth Commonwealth Government for £15 000 and fitted out as a boy’s training ship at Mort’s Dock Balmain. The name chosen for her was an aboriginal word meaning ‘open sea’ and commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Tingira, 25th of April 1912. HMAS Tingira, which had a compliment of up to 250 boy trainees plus training staff became a well known sight in Sydney harbour at her permanent mooring in Rose Bay. The Tingira was supported by shore facilities in Kent Hall on New South Head Road, with the nearby Lyne Park being used for the purpose of parade, rifle and field gun training.  On 1 June 1912 the first batch of 37 boys recruited from New South Wales joined Tingira, with drafts from other States quickly following, completing the first intake of 100. Entry was limited to boys between the ages of 14 and a half and 16 years who were bound to serve for seven years following their eighteenth birthday.

Arriving on board Tingira, the boys were immediately assigned an official number which remained with them throughout their naval service. They were then placed in either the 'port' or 'starboard' watch and kitted up in what was termed casual clothing. This was an interim naval kit consisting of: a cap, duck (coarse white material) suit, towel, soap, hammock and blankets. Shoes were only ever worn when undertaking parade or gunnery training or when going ashore for Sunday divine service. A more complete kit-up usually followed a week later. Boys were placed in classes of about 12 and for the first four months they received comprehensive instruction in seamanship. On completion, they would sit an examination before beginning their gunnery training. This was where discipline reportedly came into its own. Everything was done at 'the double' and failure to carry out correct drill or any order with alacrity was severely dealt with. A typical day's routine for a Tingira boy saw them turn out at 0530 and 'lash and stow' their hammocks before mustering for baths & showers.

After bathing, each boy would receive a cup of cocoa, known as 'ki', before 'turning to' and cleaning ship. Boats would then be turned out and on completion the boys would fall in for physical training. The last boy to fall in would be sent over the ship's rigging half a dozen times which was never a pleasant prospect, particularly with no footwear on a cold, frosty morning. After a vigorous half an hour of physical training all of the boys would be ordered over the ships rigging three times before mustering for breakfast. Grace was said before all meals which were overseen by the ship’s padre. On completion of breakfast the day’s classroom and practical instruction began, continuing until 1600 at which time the boys turned their attention to domestic duties or compulsory organised sport.  

At 1900, on completion of supper, the boys were allowed to write letters or participate in voluntary games until 2030 when they were fallen in before being ordered to ‘turn in’. Lights out occurred promptly at 2100. During her 15 years in commission 3158 boys were trained in Tingira, most taking their place as sailors in the fleet. The last draft of the Tingira Boys began their training in 1926 and in August that year recruiting of boys ceased. On 30 June 1927 Tingira paid off and after passing through the hands of a number of different owners she was broken up in Sydney in 1941.

HMAS Parramatta

After completion of training aboard the Tingira, and being promoted to “Boy – 1st Class” (this rank appears on Arthur’s first medal, the 1914-1915 Star) Arthur was posted to HMAS Parramatta, on 16th October 1915. The Parramatta was one of six 'River' Class Torpedo Boat Destroyers built for the Royal Australian Navy during the period 1909-16. During World War I these ships formed the Australian Destroyer Flotilla. Sister ships were HMA Ships Huon, Swan, Torrens, Warrego and Yarra.

In November 1915 Parramatta, Yarra and Warrego proceeded to Sandakan in Borneo and based there, the Flotilla spent the next six months patrolling Malayan, East Indies and Philippine waters. On 17 July 1916 Parramatta returned to Sydney. During her career, Parramatta received no honours or awards for her activities during World War I. Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system, completed in March 2010, the ship's wartime service was retroactively recognised with the honours "Rabaul 1914" and "Adriatic 1917–18".

HMAS Brisbane

After leaving the Parramatta and spending 3 moths receiving further training at the land-based naval establishment of HMAS Cerberus, on 2nd December 1916 Arthur was posted to HMAS Brisbane, a Town Class light cruiser. During WW1, HMAS Brisbane mainly operated in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Australian coastal waters. However on 21 October 1918, Brisbane departed for the eastern Mediterranean, and was between Colombo and Suez when World War I ended. The ship reached Murdos in late November, and spent most of December operating with the Australian destroyer Squadron, before visiting Smyrna and the Dardanelles. Brisbane reached the United Kingdom before the end of December 1918, and began refitting at Portsmouth. The most visible aspect of the refit was the installation of a tripod mast. The cruiser remained in British waters until 17 April 1919, when she departed from Portsmouth for home.

The cruiser operated in Australian waters until 4 August 1922, when she was decommissioned into reserve. The battle honour "Indian Ocean 1917" recognises the cruiser's wartime service.

The Inter-War Years

1920’s

Following the end of WW1 and due to defence department budget cuts, the RAN was greatly reduced is size, both in ships and personnel. Arthur was very fortunate to be one of the small number of RAN officers & sailors to remain in service and during the first few post-WW1 years, seems to have spent much of his time aboard ships that were either being decommissioned, or being briefly re-commissioned for a specific short-term purpose, such as the 1920 & 1927 Royal visits to Australia.

Service record shows that during the 1920’s Arthur also had multiple postings to the land-based RAN training establishment HMAS Penguin, no-doubt for the purpose of attending various up-skilling courses. In June 1924, Arthur received a nine month posting back to HMAS Tingira, undoubtable for the purpose of assisting with the instruction of new Boy-Sailors. Perhaps the most enjoyable and adventurous posting that Arthur had during the 1920’s would have been the two year period he spent aboard the HMAS Geranium.

HMAS Geranium

Was an Arabis-class sloop built in Scotland and launched in 1915. The ship was operated by the Royal Navy as a minesweeper from 1915 until 1919, when Geranium was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, for use as a survey ship. Geranium conducted extensive survey work in Far-Northern Australian waters, from 1919 until being de-commissioned in 1927. Judging by the many photographs that have survived from that period, it seems apparent that the Geranium was a “happy ship” which offered the crew plenty of adventure around the sparsely populated region of Far North-West Australia, as well as making PR type ports of call to Australian towns & cities, where the Geranium crew often competed in sporting events against local teams.

It was during Arthurs' time on HMAS Geranium that he and a fellow crewman, (Reginald Lucas) performed an act of Bravery that resulted in the both being awarded the Royal Humane Society of Australasia Bronze medal for Bravery. Arthurs RHS citation reads:

"On the 21st of October 1925 while tied-up to a pier at Rockhampton, one of the crew fell overboard into the swiftly running tide waters. Arthur and fellow Geranium crewman Reginald Lucas jumped into the treacherous waters and saved their crew-mate from drowning, For their actions, in 1926 Arthur and Able Seaman Lucas were recipients of the Royal Humane Society Medal for Bravery." 

1930’s

Service records indicate that during 1930’s much of Arthur’s time was spent assisting with the commissioning of new ships for the Royal Australian Navy, which at one point included sailing to England and help sail back to Australian, the refurbished V destroyer HMAS Vendetta, Voyager and, Waterhen.

Other ships of this Class which Arthur assisted with the commissioning, were: HMAS Vampire, Voyager & Waterhen.

In late 1939, in recognition of his impressively long service, Arthur was awarded the very attractively designed Naval Long Service & Good Conduct Medal

World War II

For the first 21 months of WW2 Arthur was posted to the land-based naval training establishment of HMAS Penguin, in Sydney.

However, with escalation of the War into the Pacific, there was huge & urgent demand for the laying of defensive minefields around the Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, Northern Australia and the Barrier Reef, New Caledonia and New Zealand, and thus, on 9th June 1941 Arthur was posted to the HMAS Bungaree, and RAN auxiliary mine-layer.

HMAS Bungaree

The Bungaree was originally built as a cargo vessel for the Adelaide Steamship Company but was requisitioned by the RAN in 1940, and after conversion to a mine-layer, and commissioned into service  on 9 June 1941.

Following her conversion, HMAS Bungaree had a capacity of 423 naval mines. She was later modified to carry 467 mines, and was armed with: two four inch guns, one 12-pounder, four 20mm Oerlikons and machine guns.

Bungaree laid her first minefield off Port Moresby in August 1941 and, as Australia's only minelayer, laid over 10,000 mines in defensive minefields in Australian and New Zealand waters during World War II.

One other claim to slight fame was that the Bungaree (and Arthur) was present in Sydney Harbour during the daring Japanese midget submarine attack on 31 May 1942.

The principal naval vessels in the harbour were U.S. Ships Chicago, Perkins, Dobbin, and H.M.A.S. Bungaree (minelayer) at buoys in Man-of-war anchorage; H.M.A.S. Canberra at No. 1 Buoy in Farm Cove; the armed merchant cruisers Kanimbla and Westralia across the harbour off Neutral Bay; Adelaide alongside on the west side of Garden Island; and the corvettes Whyalla and Geelong at the oil wharf on the north-west corner of the island; H.M.I.S. Bombay at No. 9 Buoy, Man-of-War anchorage; and the Dutch submarine K 9 fast outside the depot ship (converted harbour ferry) Kuttabul, lying alongside at the south-east corner of Garden Island.

As the following map shows, the Bungarre was anchored less than 300 meters away from the main target of the Japanese attach, the United States Cruiser, the USS Chicargo.

After the attack, it was said that had a Japanese torpedo hit the Bungaree, her mines would have accounted for most of Sydney suburbs of Darling Point, and Point Piper.

After the submarine raid on Sydney Harbour, the Bungaree continued with its’ mine laying duties.

Bungaree was awarded the battle honour "Pacific 1942–43" for her wartime service.

HMAS Moreton

As the Allies moved onto the offensive in the Pacific, the need for defensive minefields lessened, and so in August 1942 Arthur was re-deployed to HMAS Moreton naval depot, in Brisbane, where he was made a Coxswain of a Fairmile Motor Launch ML815.

Fairmile motor launches were small, fast, highly manoeuvrable, lightly-armed ships designed in the United Kingdom.

The Fairniles had a displacement of 75 ton, were 112 feet long and 18 feet at the beam, and were generally armed with a 40mm Bofors gun, two 20mm Oerlikons, machine-guns and depth charges.

They were originally intended to be used for coastal anti-submarine and convoy protection duties but soon proved to be vessels capable of much broader operational tasking.

In April 1941 the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) recognised the need for a vessel which could be built locally and used in the littoral waters of Australia, New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies and their surrounding islands.

On 5 January 1942 the War Cabinet gave approval to construct Fairmiles in Australia; and between November 1942 and April 1944, thirty-five vessels were commissioned into RAN service.

The Fairmiles from Brisbane were mainly involved in escorting allied convoys of ships heading northbound. They would escort them to Lady Elliott Island which is at the southern end of the Great Barrie Reef. 

It was assumed that the convoys were then safe as they headed northwards from Lady Elliott Island as they were inside the Great Barrier Reef and thus free from attack from Japanese submarines.

Shortly after the end of the War in the Pacific in August 1945, Arthur left the Navy and settled permanently in Adelaide with his wife Thelma.

Nothing is known of Arthur’s post WW2 life, however as he would have at the time been just 45 years old, it can be speculated that he continued to work for a number of years before retiring.

As it is understood that his “navy trade” was that of an electrician, it is likely he continued in similar line of employment.

Arthur died on 14th March 1961, and is buried in Adelaide.