Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Seniors) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Chief Electrical Artificer and acting Chief Petty Officer Allen Leslie Smith was somebody I would have called uncle if he had lived. He was onboard HMAS Sydney when it was attacked by the Kormoran, which had been masquerading as a Dutch merchant ship. The battle that ensued meant that every single solitary Australian member of the ship’s company—all 645—was lost. Of the Kormoran, the ship that had acted with deception and lured the Sydney so that it lost its firepower advantage, had 317 survivors and lost 80.

The stories that have surrounded the Sydney and its wonderful and luminous history prior to it being lost are of the legend variety. The Sydney in 1941 had taken part in battles in the Mediterranean as part of the 7th Cruiser Mediterranean fleet. The Sydney had in battle torpedoed and fired upon Italian ships and had been responsible for sinking the Bartolomeo Colleoni. As Captain Collins—after whom we named our Collins class submarines—ordered the finishing of that ship, cruiser Havock, which was acting in this battle with the Sydney, was standing by to take survivors from the ship.

When the Finding Sydney Foundation was formed everyone was delighted that finally a proper search would be made for the Sydney and some of the mystery could be solved. When the ship and the Kormoran were found and we heard again the story of the last half-hour of the Sydneythe only version being the German version—we commemorated the ship and all of her company with a very fine service at St Andrew’s Cathedral. The stories of the ship, her courage and her company were celebrated as well as commemorated.

In recent times I have had discussions with Allen Leslie Smith’s son, my cousin. As I said, Allen died before I was born, but obviously my cousin lost his dad. He and I together are very incensed, as are others in my electorate, about the plaque that is being sent to Germany. It has been negotiated by the Finding Sydney Foundation, after completing arrangements with the German Naval Association and accepting words for the plaque to be sent to Germany to a war museum. The plaque says:

In the sea battle off Shark Bay Western Australia between Kormoran and HMAS Sydney on 19 November 1941, 80 Kormoran men and 645 Sydney men were killed. Both ships sank due to the damage they had suffered in battle. In March 2008 the wrecks of Kormoran and Sydney were located by the Finding Sydney Foundation. Today we reach out our hands in friendship, to commemorate those who died at sea together.

In memory of those who died in battle, and to remind the living.

May the men from both ships rest in peace.

It was not an honourable battle. The German ship behaved dishonourably. To whitewash the fact that all Australians were lost and 317 Germans were rescued is to whitewash the greatest loss of naval personnel in the history of Australia. As someone who does have a personal connection and acknowledges it, it is wrong that this plaque be sent. (Time expired)