Story - the cat who knew This is the story of a little black kitten with a very special job: mascot of the warship HMAS Perth. At the beginning of 1942, HMAS Perth and its crew were famous across Australia. Only the year before it had been fighting the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. HMAS Perth also evacuated thousands of war-weary Australian troops from Greece. Now HMAS Perth and its crew of over 600 men were back in pacific waters where they were needed for a very important task - to stop the Japanese advance across south-east Asia. They left Sydney in January 1942, stopping off at Fremantle on the way. It was perhaps, at this time that Perth's animal mascot Red Lead, joined the ship. We know it was only a kitten in February 1942. What a place for a little kitten to explore! There were the sailors' quarters with their swinging hammocks, the wide, wooden deck, towering masts, the round signal lamps and deep in the bowels of the ship the growling engines. But Red Lead's favourite spot was curled up in the captain's cabin. The new captain, Hec Waller, always had a moment to spare for the playful kitten. But Red Lead had little time to settle into its new home. On 27 February, HMAS Perth joined a fleet of British, Dutch and American ships to stop a Japanese naval convoy from landing on the island of Java. The fleet was hopelessly outnumbered and one by one, the Allied ships were crippled, sunk or forced to withdraw. The sound of firing ack ack guns and the shouting of the men surrounded the kitten! Japanese planes zoomed over ahead - there was no safe place to hide, except its one special place, Captain Waller's cabin. There it firmly stayed until the Captain gave orders to withdraw from the battle. Embattled but not defeated the warship steamed back to the harbour. Back in the safety of the harbour, Red Lead somehow knew it would not survive another battle like that. It was time to find another job and another home. Quietly and stealthily it crept down the gangway. "Where do you think you are going?" yelled out one of the sailors and scooped up the little kitten, returning it to the deck. Foiled, Red Lead tried again and again. Three times in total, the kitten tried to leave the ship but to no avail. Some of the sailors looked at the unhappy cat and shook their heads - this was a bad omen. The official log at the end of the day read "Red Lead, ship's kitten, endeavoured to desert, but was brought back on board, despite vigorous protests." Red Lead was right that things would not improve. The next day HMAS Perth and USS Houston sailed for the south coast of Java and met a large fleet of Japanese ships. After a desperate battle, the Perth was sunk. Over 350 men (including Captain Waller) and one little black kitten went down with the ship. Remembering 1942 - HMAS Perth [Australian War Memorial] This Story is compliments of the Australian War Memorial, I am trying to raise the awareness of the role of certain unknown Australians who served and paid the ultimate price. If anyone is interested i have started a thread " Due Respects for Aussie Flyers" and would be very interested in everyones thoughts/input. Cheers.
This is a lovely story. What a grand ship Perth was! I argue she was our finest. Her work in the Med alone guaranteed that. I had the great pleasure of meeting several survivors of Perth during the 60th anniversary celebrations in Greece. They told me some wonderful stories. Here's a story of another great Aussie ship's cat. Name of Trim. Trim was the beloved companion of Matthew Flinders and travelled with him on all his voyages of exploration. As a result, Trim was the first to circumnavigate Australia. Trim was born on HMS Roundabout in 1799 and was always Flinders companion. He even survived shipwreck on the Barrier Reef and suffered heroically the privations that his master suffered during his voyages. He was also incarcerated with Flinders on Mauritius. Which is where he met his untimely death. This is what Flinders said about him: To the memory of Trim, the best and most illustrious of his Race, – the most affectionate of friends, – faithful of servants, and best of creatures. He made the Tour of the Globe, and a voyage to Australia, which he circumnavigated; and was ever the delight and pleasure of his fellow voyagers. Returning to Europe in 1803, he was shipwrecked in the Great Equinoxial Ocean; This danger escaped, he sought refuge and assistance at the Isle of France, where he was made prisoner, contrary to the laws of Justice, of Humanity, and of French National Faith; and where, alas! he terminated his useful career, by an untimely death, being devoured by the Catophagi of that island. Many a time have I beheld his little merriments with delight, and his superior intelligence with surprise: Never will his like be seen again! Trim was born in the Southern Indian Ocean, in the year 1799, and perished as above at the Isle of France in 1804. Flinders wrote a book about his friend and you can read it here: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/flinders/Displa...entXML Page=1 I am able to mention the name Flinders in the same breath as James Cook. An extraordinary sailor and navigator. There is a statue of Trim in Hyde Park, Sydney. There is a statue of Flinders and the Tom Thumb in the centre of Melbourne, outside St. Paul's cathedral. Trim's story forms the basis of a work of fiction by Bryce Courtenay called "Matthew Flinders Cat". One either loves Courtenay or hates him! I was very moved by this book. Whilst researching for this, I came across a remarkable book: Ships' Cats in War and Peace by Val Lewis. There are 79 chapters each describing a particular cat. The front cover has a photo of the Prince of Wales ship's cat wishing Churchill good luck with his forthcoming talks with Roosevelt that culminated in the Atlantic Charter.
