The Military History Society of NSW

The Military History Society of NSW Presents: Sunk Warships, 1942: HMAS Perth and USS Houston A lecture by Dr Natali Pearson, Saturday 2 March 2019 The lightening advance of Japanese forces south to the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) in March 1942 spelt doom for two proud warships of the Allied navies. Australia’s HMAS Perth and America’s USS Houston were attacked by Japanese destroyers and tragically sent to the bottom of the Sunda Strait separating Sumatra from Java. In the decades since, these underwater wrecks have been the subject of expeditions, illegal salvaging and other cultural impacts, which have grown in scale over recent years. Taking the history of salvaged bells from HMAS Perth (pictured) and USS Houston as a starting point, Dr Pearson will examine the meaning of protection and preservation in the case of underwater shipwrecks. Should they be left undisturbed or is loss inevitable? Or should there be judicious intervention to remove symbol

Here are some images from our fascinating and well-attended lecture on Saturday 2 February 2019, "Militaria from the Gallipoli Campaign" by Gary Traynor, Army reservist, battlefield guide and Assistant Curator at the Australian War Memorial.  The images represent just a sample of the items and subjects covered by Gary in his wide-ranging discussion of the inventiveness and resourcefulness displayed by Australian diggers in the horrendous conditions at Gallipoli. Assembling a mock-up of the Beech Periscope Rifle, invented at  Gallipoli by  Lance Corporal William Beech, 2nd Battalion AIF        More assembling of the mock-up of the Beech Periscope Rifle Gary with assembled mock-up of Beech Periscope Rifle in background Mock-up of Beech Periscope Rifle from another angle         Items collected from Gallipoli battlefields, including bullets, slouch hat fastening  pin, pipe cleaner, bolt from .303 Lee Enfield rifle More items collected from G