Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

At the age of 18, Dad’s youngest brother, Cyril joined the Royal Australian Navy on 8 January 1946 after World War II had ended. His Service Number was 28827, and he served in the Korean War on the HMAS Sydney from 31 August 1951 to 22 February 1952. He maintained a “VG” service record throughout his whole career. He served on several ships in his naval career. While serving on HMAS Sydney, he attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 and took the opportunity to visit his English relatives. He served on the HMAS Melbourne from 26 October 1955 to the end of his service on 9 September 1958. While serving on the Melbourne, in 1955 he purchased the copy of The Guinness Book of Records which was first published in November 1955 and gave it to us. I was 13 in 1955 and over the passing decades only used it a few times.
I will send it to his son Russell, because Cyril wrote his name on the first page “A/B Haupt. 4D2 Mess. HMAS Melbourne”.
Cyril’s rank was Able Seaman. He spent 12 years in the Navy and for much of this time was a navy diver. In those days when diving, he wore the heavy brass helmets, waterproof suits and heavy boots and was connected to the ship by the air hose, a communication cable and a recovery line. This photo taken in the early-1950s shows him in a frogman’s diving gear.