Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

LAURENCE ‘LARRY’ SAYERS was born on 18 August 1894 in Busselton. He was the third eldest of seven children born to Carinia ‘Carlo’ Sayers, a timber mill worker, and Flora Hasseldon Thompson who were married in 1891. Carlo’s mother Jenny was an Aboriginal woman from the Vasse region in the South-West and his father an expiree from England. Laurence was educated at in Busselton at the local state school where he received meritorious awards for attendance in both 1904 and 1905. After leaving he worked with his father who was engaged in farm management within the district. On 27 September 1912, Larry joined the Royal Australian Navy as a stoker and was officially engaged for active war time service within ten weeks of the outbreak of war. He was initially assigned to HMAS Cerberus, a coastal defence turret ship, that was confined to the waters around Port Philip Bay in Victoria. Larry was transferred to HMAS Fantome and then HMAS Yarra where he was involved in exercises throughout South-East Asia. In June 1916, Larry returned to Australia to spend time with his parents in Busselton prior to rejoining the vessel for a further ten months service. On 1 July 1917, Larry was assigned to HMAS Encounter participating in salvage operations and escort duties across the Pacific through to the end of hostilities. He continued to serve for a further eight months before being discharged on 15 June 1919, having been awarded the 1915–18 blue chevrons. Within six months of returning to Australia, Larry was residing in Fremantle where he married Emma Hanham. Together the couple had two children. By 1922 he was employed as a warder at the Fremantle Prison, remaining in the role for the next 30 years. In the early 1950s, Larry was engaged in the tannery section at the Fremantle Wool Stores , a position he held through to retirement. By the end of the decade he and his wife had moved in with their daughter who lived nearby. Laurance Sayers passed away peacefully on 9 January 1971, aged 76. He is buried in the Fremantle cemetery. He is acknowledged on the War Memorial in his home town of Busselton, along with two of his brothers, Albert and Frederick. His brother Charles was deemed ineligible to serve on account of being a ‘half-caste’

He was on the Yarra when some of her complement, along with sailors from Parramatta , were landed at Kabakaul (New Britain) to take part in operations ashore against the German forces. Yarra  was present at the formal surrender of German New Guinea to the Australian forces at Rabaul