Three Hundred of Crew New Zealanders

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 297, 16 December 1939, Page 6

Three Hundred of Crew New Zealanders

TOTAL COMPLEMENT 547 AUCKLAND, Dec. 15. Both the surgeon-lieutenants serving in tho Achilles are New Zealanders, Surgeon-Lieutenant C. G. Hunter being the cruisers’s regular doctor, and Sur-geon-Lieutenant C. A. Pittar, R.N.R., having been appointed to the warship on the outbreak of war. Lieutenant R. E. Washbourn, who was appointed to the Achilles when she was recommissioned in England early this year, is formerly of Nelson and has advanced in a specialist gunnery course. Ho also won the Ronald Megaw Memorial Prize for 1932-33, this prize being offered annually to the sublieutenant obtaining the highest place in the examination for lieutenant. A fourth New Zealander is SubLieutenant E. P. Chapman, R.N.K. (N.Z.). Another New Zealander is WarrantOfficer G. R. Davis Goff, ono of several New Zealanders who have won promotion from tho lower deck. In addition there are 321 New Zealand ratings out of the 547 in the cruiser, to them falling the honour of being the first predominantly New Zealand crew of a British warship to engage an enemy ship in action. The Achilles was commissioned at Chatham on March 31, 1935, for service in New Zealand waters and recommissioned at Portsmouth on January 27 last. The officers now serving in her are as follows:—Captain William Edward Parry, Commander Douglas Mortimer Lewis Neame, Lieutenant-Com-mander Philip Thomas Addington Love, Lieutenants Richard Everley Washbourn (G.), Philip Pcrcival Mancha Green (T.), George Gerard Cowburn (N.), Richard Crombie Sewell (Met.) (O.), Frank Eric Brooking, Wyndham Moresby, Edward Walter Sykes (A.), Sub-Lieutenant lan Fraser Soinmerville, Sub-Lieutenants R.N.R. (N.Z.), Eric Primrose Chapman, Henry Valentine Blakeney Williams, Commander (E.) Henry William Head, Lieutenants (E.) Jasper Andrew Richard Abbott, Cecil Frederick Morrow, Captain R.M. John Lampen, Surgeon-Lieutenant Colin Graeme Hunter, M. 8., 8.5., SurgeonLieutenant R.N.V.R. (N.Z.) Cecil Arthur Pittar, M. 8., B.S. (Sydney), E.E.A.C.S. (Cpt.), Pay-Commander, Hugh Thomas Isaac, Fay-Lidutenant John Douglas Trythall, PAy-Sub-Lieu-tenant Peter Henry Garland Richardson, Gunners Henry Thomas Burchell, Eric James Watts, George Raymond Davis-Goff (T.), N.Z.N.E., Warrant Shipwright Percival Sydney Watt, Warrant Engineers Albert John Thomas Shoring, Charles Henry James Stone, Henry George Slade, Warrant Electrician Joseph Foster Swift, Schooljnastei: .Cjrril Chit,