HMS NEPTUNE Remembered
By Nigel McPherson, Joint Chairman, HMS NEPTUNE Memorial Dunedin Committee [and brother of the late MID B E McPherson RNZN, of the NEPTUNE].
December is an emotion-filled month for the RNZN; we remember both the Battle of the River Plate (13 December 1939 - the 70th anniversary is this year) and the loss of HMS NEPTUNE 68 years ago. Last year, a memorial dedicated to the men of the NEPTUNE was unveiled on the Dunedin waterfront on 12 December. In addition to the service in Dunedin, RA Jack Steer, VCDF, joined naval veterans, friends and family at Christchurch’s Bridge of Remembrance on 14 December, a week later there was the annual Memorial Service for NEPTUNE at St Christopher’s Chapel at PHILOMEL. And services were also held in the RNZNVR establishments, HMNZ Ships OLPHERT and TOROA.
The provision of an HMS NEPTUNE Memorial on the Dunedin waterfront was initiated by two people with close ties to the loss of the cruiser NEPTUNE:
- Royden Thomson was barely a year old when his father Bruce sailed from NZ in 1940. Paymaster Thomson’s navy life had begun when he joined the RNVR(NZ) in 1928, one of the first in the Dunedin Division (today HMNZS TOROA). His career advanced steadily and at the time of his death he was Paymaster Lieutenant.
- For myself, I still remember my brother well; I was 11 years old when Brian left for England in 1940. Brian went to Otago Boys’ High School and he was just 16 when appointed Head Prefect. He applied under a wartime entry scheme to join the Navy for officer training, and in December 1940 he left for England and the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, to attend a Special Entry course, the Frobishers. He passed out in June 1941 as a Midshipman, and following further specialist courses, joined NEPTUNE in Alexandria, Egypt, at the end of October that year.
Royden and I had both attended NEPTUNE Memorial Services at TOROA, but we also felt the need for a public memorial to commemorate the loss of the ship and honour the 764 men from across the Commonwealth who lost their lives, and record the names of the 30 from the Dunedin area. It was felt a waterfront location, accessible at all times, would be appropriate. This was discussed with the Dunedin RSA, the eventual result being the memorial which was dedicated and unveiled on 12 December 2008.
Designed by prominent Dunedin architect Niel Wales and constructed of local bluestone it incorporates two locally cast bronze plaques. One bears the names of the 30 local men who perished, the other tells the story of the sinking and is surmounted with the ship’s crest cast in bronze imported from England. The memorial is placed on the waterfront in a popular public area. It is of a size and shape that viewers can stand to read the inscriptions, while looking over the waters where many of those lost had received their basic naval training.
We shared a simple but impressive ceremony with in excess of 200 people in attendance. As well the Anglican Bishop of Dunedin, the British High Commissioner, the Chief of Navy, the Deputy Mayor, (the Mayor being away) and the Chairman of the Regional Council, it was particularly appropriate that Norma Hudson, daughter of NEPTUNE’s sole survivor Norman Walton, could attend. She brought a message from the NEPTUNE Association in the UK and it was Norma who unveiled the memorial.
Royden Thomson read the names of those recorded on the monument. As each name was read, a naval representative laid a poppy in the urn in front of the memorial, stepped back one pace, and saluted. Facing bitterly cold conditions, the RNZNVR Guard at the memorial remained steadfast throughout and performed their drill with precision. Memorable moments from our ceremony included: the singing of the Returned Services Choir; the March On by naval personnel to a solo drum; the bagpipe’s lament during the laying of the wreaths; and the clear tones of the trumpet in the Last Post and Reveille.
Later, following formalities, a cocktail party was hosted at HMNZS TOROA. On display, along with the objects and images of the Otago RNZNVR Association Museum, was a superb model of NEPTUNE brought to Dunedin by its builder, Graham Beeson.
A Happy Ship
A briefing prepared by Neil Howard, Curator of the OTAGO RNZNVR Association Museum
The decision to increase NZ’s naval contribution.
- In early 1941 the Admiralty suggested that NZ accept responsibility for a further cruiser, and Prime Minister Peter Fraser agreed.
- The NEPTUNE was a sister ship to ACHILLES and LEANDER
- Kiwis naval men already on loan to the RN were posted from other ships to join the NEPTUNE as she completed a refit.
- The Commanding Officer, CAPT Rory O’Conor RN, achieved a total empathy with the whole of his ship’s company; it is said he knew all by name.
The Mediterranean Fleet
- After the heavy losses and many damaged ships during the Greece and Crete campaigns, the NZ government agreed that NEPTUNE should serve for a period in the Mediterranean Fleet
- For a brief period NEPTUNE worked alongside LEANDER, which PM Fraser had also agreed to deploy into ‘the Med’.
- For 5 months NEPTUNE worked hard on many operations.
- While in Alexandria the NZ Broadcasting Service recorded Christmas messages from NEPTUNE’s Kiwi sailors, intended to be broadcast on the radio in NZ for Christmas 1941.
To Malta
- One of the continuing tasks for the fleet was to interrupt the passage of Italian supply convoys to Libya.
- On 27 November AJAX and NEPTUNE with two destroyers were sent to reinforce Force K in Malta,
- In mid-December, an Italian convoy was reported sailing south and the cruisers of Force K, AURORA, NEPTUNE and PENELOPE with 4 destroyers, all under the command of CAPT O’Conor, sailed to intercept.
Mined!
- Close to the Libyan coast the ships ran into a deep water minefield - NEPTUNE exploded a mine in the paravanes streamed from her bows. NEPTUNE went astern, to come out the same way she had gone in, but exploded a mine under her stern destroying rudders and propellers.
- AURORA was also badly damaged by a mine and headed back to Malta. A destroyer, KHANDAHAR, going in to tow NEPTUNE, hit a mine and was immobilised.
- NEPTUNE drifted onto another mine, the cruiser was extensively damaged; by then she was unreachable and with dawn approaching and the threat of enemy bombers the other ships had to leave. NEPTUNE hit a fourth mine, rolled over and sank.
- With heavy casualties on board only a few abandoned ship; in the cold sea and poor weather many soon succumbed. One raft drifted for four days; CAPT O’Conor was one of the last to die…later that day an Italian destroyer picked up the last and only survivor, AB Norman Walton.
And in New Zealand
- December 1941 was a time of crisis and warship losses were an operational secret; NEPTUNE’s casualty list affected families in four nations.
- Eventually the young Telegraph boys had to ride out from the post offices with their dreaded telegrams - the grief reached out into every community in NZ.
- After the War, and as a new generation took an interest, the loss of NEPTUNE began to be commemorated. It has been marked annually in HMNZS TOROA for at least the last thirty years
- In 1991, 50 years after NEPTUNE’s loss, Mr Norman Walton was flown to NZ by British Airways and Air New Zealand, to meet the families and friends of his former shipmates and to unveil a memorial in Nelson. In TOROA we had a memorable night with him.
- Nigel McPherson discovered in Radio New Zealand’s Sound Archives the record made of the 1941 Christmas messages from NEPTUNE’s Kiwi sailors, intended to be broadcast in NZ that year. But they were never broadcast then because of the loss of the ship. The recording was first broadcast on Anzac Day 2003.
- In the UK the loss of NEPTUNE and KHANDAHAR is now marked at the National Arboretum, a ‘living memorial’ to the ships and seamen of the Royal Navy lost in action.
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