Canberra: Australian War Memorial

The Australian capital is an odd place. Think Washington DC without any people walking about and very limited public transport. A tiny train station. There are, however, a number of amazing museums and sights, such as the Australian War Memorial, my main reason for the visit.

The memorial's two main exhibit halls are dedicated to WWI and WWII respectively, each containing a plethora of artifacts and painstakingly recreated dioramas detailing Australia's engagement and losses in these wars. To be honest, I didn't have much of an idea about the extent of Australian war efforts and sacrifice, so this visit was incredibly informative beyond the HMAS Sydney (II) exhibit.

Based on preliminary research I kind of knew what to expect but it still hit me hard when I saw the famous Carley Float, the first remains found from the HMAS Sydney, on Nov 27th, 1941, 8 days after the battle.

You can see the damage it sustained in the battle, and it is assumed that many of the Sydney's crew didn't survive because there were no functioning life boats left. Also on display are Captain Dettmers life jacket, a model of the Sydney, and a hat from one of the sailors, Able Seaman Michael "Joey" Walsh, who swapped his hat with his cousin before embarking on the Sydney's final voyage.

Finally, there are relics belonging to the remains of a body found in another carley float off Christmas island about three months after the battle. Just recently the body was positively identified as Able Seaman Thomas Welsby Clark.

These names and artifacts are painful reminders of the the victims of the battle; they were all (mostly young) men with their own stories, hopes and dreams. 645 might not be a huge number in the grand scheme of the war's millions of deaths, but when you look at the memorial's wall of honor, you can easily get overwhelmed by the magnitude of this loss.

You can read the complete honor roll here.

I have seen the phrase "lest we forget" a lot in my research, a common phrase on memorial sites used in English-speaking countries. So I looked it up and found out that it is taken from a Rudyard Kipling poem, "Recessional". A good way to end this post, I believe:

'God of our fathers, known of old,

Lord of our far-flung battle line,

Beneath whose awful hand we hold

Dominion over palm and pine—

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!'

The tumult and the shouting dies;

The Captains and the Kings depart:

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,

An humble and a contrite heart.

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!

Far-called, our navies melt away;

On dune and headland sinks the fire:

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!

Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose

Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,

Such boastings as the Gentiles use,

Or lesser breeds without the Law—

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust

In reeking tube and iron shard,

All valiant dust that builds on dust,

And, guarding, calls not Thee to guard;

For frantic boast and foolish word—

Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!