Hector Waller | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Waller on the bridge of HMASStuart in 1940 | |
| Nickname | "Hard Over Hec" |
| Born | (1900-04-04)4 April 1900 Benalla, Victoria |
| Died | 1 March 1942(1942-03-01) (aged 41) |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch | Royal Australian Navy |
| Years of service | 1913–1942 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands |
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| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
Hector Macdonald Laws Waller,DSO &Bar (4 April 1900 – 1 March 1942) was a senior officer in theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN). His career spanned almost thirty years, including service in both world wars. At the helm of theflotilla leaderHMAS Stuart in theMediterranean from 1939 to 1941, he won recognition as a skilful ship's captain andflotilla commander. He then transferred to theSouth West Pacific as captain of thelight cruiserHMAS Perth, and went down with his ship during theBattle of Sunda Strait in early 1942.
Born inBenalla, Victoria, Waller entered theRoyal Australian Naval College aged thirteen. After graduating, he served with theRoyal Navy in the closing stages of World War I. Between the wars, he specialised in communications and was posted as signals officer to several British and Australian warships. He gained his first seagoing command in 1937, as captain of the destroyerHMS Brazen. In September 1939, he took command of HMASStuart and four other obsolete destroyers that together became known as the "Scrap Iron Flotilla". In 1940, these were augmented by other ships to form the10th Destroyer Flotilla, supporting Allied troops inNorth Africa.
Waller was awarded theDistinguished Service Order andBar, and twicementioned in despatches, for his achievements in the Mediterranean. He assumed command of HMASPerth in October 1941, taking part in theBattle of the Java Sea shortly before his final action in Sunda Strait. He received a third mention in despatches posthumously, and in 2011 came under formal consideration for the award of theVictoria Cross for his performance asPerth's captain. The submarineHMAS Waller is named in his honour.
Born on 4 April 1900 inBenalla, Victoria, Hector Macdonald Laws Waller was the son of William Frederick Waller, a grocer, and his wife Helen Waller (née Duncan).[1][2] Hec Waller was named in honour of GeneralHector MacDonald, hero of theBoer War, and a forebear called Laws who was anadmiral and a contemporary ofViscount Nelson.[3] The youngest of ten children, of whom eight survived infancy, he attended Benalla Higher Elementary School.[1][2]
Waller entered theRoyal Australian Naval College (RANC) as a cadet midshipman on 31 December 1913, aged thirteen.[1][4] He gained recognition as arugby player and became cadet captain.[5] In 1917, his final year at the college, he was raised to chief cadet captain and won the King's Medal, awarded for "gentlemanly bearing, character, good influence among his fellows and officer-like qualities".[1][6] Promoted tomidshipman on 1 January 1918, he was posted to Britain where, in April, he was appointed to serve in theRoyal Navy's (RN)Grand Fleet with thedreadnoughtHMS Agincourt.[1][7] The ship did not see combat while he was on board.[8]
In February 1919, Waller was assigned to the light cruiserHMASMelbourne, and two months later returned to Australia.[1] He transferred to the light cruiserHMASSydney as an actingsub-lieutenant in September; his rank was made substantive the following month.[9][10] In April 1920 he was again posted aboardMelbourne.[11] Promoted tolieutenant in March 1921, he underwent further training in Britain before returning to join the staff of the RANC. Waller married Nancy Bowes, aminister's daughter, on 7 April 1923 in theSydney suburb ofLewisham; the couple had two sons, Michael and John. In April 1924, he was posted to the light cruiserHMASAdelaide. Later that year, he began training as a signals officer in England; his classmates includedLord Louis Mountbatten. Waller finished at the top of the advanced course and, in May 1926, took charge of the Signals and Wireless-Telegraphy School atFlinders Naval Depot inWesternport, Victoria.[1][8] From 1928 to 1930, he served with the RN as a signals officer aboard the destroyerHMSBroke.[1] He was promoted tolieutenant commander in March 1929.[8]
By this stage of his career, Waller had acquired a strong reputation for his communications work. In July 1930, he was posted aboard theRoyal Australian Navy's (RAN) flagship, the heavy cruiserHMASAustralia, as squadron signals officer.[1][8] He continued in this role upon transferring toAustralia's sister ship,HMASCanberra, in May 1931.[12] In early 1932, he was assigned to the Navy Office inMelbourne, returning toCanberra as squadron signals officer in August 1933.[13][14] He was promoted tocommander in June 1934 and the following month became executive officer of the RANC. Departing the college in July 1936, he returned to England and spent six months in the British Naval Intelligence Division. A stint as executive officer of the repair ship HMSResource followed.[1][15] In November 1937, Waller was given his first command at sea, the RN destroyerHMSBrazen.[1][16] His ship handling was criticised early on, but was soon reported by his superiors as having "improved greatly".[15] Stationed in the Mediterranean,Brazen monitored progress of theSpanish Civil War, a duty that included protectingBritish merchant vessels and rescuing the crews of sinking ships.[7][17] By June 1939, Waller had returned to Australia to become Director of Signals and Communications at the Navy Office.[18]
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At theoutbreak of World War II, Waller was appointed captain ofHMASStuart, taking charge of a group of four other obsolete ex-RN destroyers—HMA ShipsVampire,Vendetta,Voyager, andWaterhen—that the Germans later nicknamed the "Scrap Iron Flotilla".[1][19] The ships were en route toSingapore for training when the British and Australian governments agreed that they should be assigned to theMediterranean as the 19th Destroyer Division, under Waller's control.[20] Arriving atMalta in late December, Waller made a positive initial impression on senior RN commanders; this was soon borne out by his actions during the salvage of theTrocas, a disabled tanker. In May 1940, he was appointed to command the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, which included the vessels of the "Scrap Iron Flotilla" plus four modern British destroyers, and a month later was promoted tocaptain.[1][20]
Following Italy's entry into the war on 10 June 1940, Waller was involved in the search for minefields off the North African coast. A keen shooter, he blew up floating mines using a rifle and armour-piercing bullets. On 21 June,Stuart shelled the Italian-held town ofBardia.[21] The next month, his 10th Destroyer Flotilla participated in theBattle of Calabria.[1] Waller's ships carried out bombardments ofFort Capuzzo on 17 August and an Italian seaplane base in theGulf of Bomba one week later.[22] In September, he was awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO) for "courage, enterprise, and devotion to duty on recent engagements"—in particular, his pinpointing of enemy minefields.[21][23] The same month, he transferred to HMASVampire whileStuart went in for refit.[24] As theAllied armies began tocounterattack Italian forces in December 1940, the Commander-in-Chief of theMediterranean Fleet, AdmiralSir Andrew Cunningham, gave Waller command of the new Inshore Squadron, comprising destroyers, minesweepers, and auxiliaries. In his role as Cunningham's Senior Officer Afloat, Waller took charge of naval support for theBattle of Bardia, which fell to the Allies on 5 January 1941.[25][26] Shortly afterwards, he handed over command of the Inshore Squadron and returned toStuart.[26]
The cooks & stewards nicknamed Waller 'Hard Over Hec' as most of his wheel orders, in action, were 'Hard a Stbd or Hard a Port'. Waller would lay back in his chair, with pipe in mouth, on the bridge and actually wait for the dive-bombers to release their bombs before ordering the wheel hard over one way or the other!
Stuart and other ships of Waller's 10th Destroyer Flotilla supported theassaults on Tobruk in January 1941 andBenghazi the following month.[27] In March,Stuart escorted Allied troop transports to Greece as part ofOperation Lustre, narrowly avoiding falling victim toAxis dive-bomber attacks.[28] During theBattle of Cape Matapan at the end of the month, Waller's ships were credited with sinking two Italian destroyers.[25] From May to July, the 10th Destroyer Flotilla made 139 ferry runs during thesiege of Tobruk, carrying supplies to the town's garrison and evacuating the wounded.[25][29] Waller wasmentioned in despatches twice during 1941: in July for his army cooperation role with the Inshore Squadron off the Libyan coast, and in November for his service during the Greek campaign.[5][30][31] In January 1942, he was awarded aBar to his DSO for "bravery and enterprise in the Battle of Cape Matapan".[32]
Waller earned the personal admiration of Admiral Cunningham, who described him as "one of the finest types of Australian naval officers ... greatly loved and admired by everyone".[33] On the occasion of a visit toAlexandria by Australian Prime MinisterRobert Menzies, Cunningham escorted him toStuart and declared: "And now you are going to meet one of the greatest captains who ever sailed the seas—his name is Waller".[25][34] According to author Ray Parkin, who began writing while a prisoner of war, "Andrew Cunningham and Hector Waller were cast in the same mould: men would follow them, suffer, and be glad about it. These were both men made by Fate for those ever-recurringSaint Crispin's Days of human affairs".[35][36]
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Departing the Mediterranean, Waller returned to Australia in August 1941 for service in theSouth West Pacific.[37] On 24 October, he took command of the light cruiserHMASPerth, berthed in Sydney.[38]Perth had also lately returned from action in the Mediterranean, where she had participated in the Greek,Cretan, andSyrian campaigns, and been damaged on two occasions by German bombers.[39] Waller was reportedly "tired" and "quite a sick man" at this time but nonetheless preparedPerth for action quickly.[40] In January 1942, the ship was assigned toAmerican-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) to help defend theDutch East Indies. She set sail for the ABDA Area on 15 February, the day that Singapore surrendered.[41]
The ABDA Striking Force thatPerth had joined was crushed by an overwhelmingJapanese force at theBattle of the Java Sea on 27 February. Low on ammunition, Waller made the decision to withdraw, accompanied by theheavy cruiserUSSHouston under the command of CaptainAlbert H. Rooks. Waller's action contravened the orders of his Dutch superior, AdmiralConrad Helfrich, to "continue action whatever the cost, and till the bitter end", but the Australian was convinced that further engagement would mean pointless sacrifice.[1][42]
On the following night, 28 February,Perth andHouston were attempting to break through theSunda Strait to Australia when they encountered a Japanese invasion fleet escorted by anaircraft carrier, aseaplane tender, four heavy cruisers, a light cruiser and eleven destroyers.[43][44] As senior officer, Waller was in the lead withPerth and gave the order to fire upon making contact with the enemy ships just after 11:00 pm.[45] In theensuing battle, the Allied cruisers sank four Japanese transports and a minesweeper before they themselves were sunk, shortly after midnight on 1 March 1942.[36][44] Having fought to the last of its ammunition,Perth was struck by two torpedoes, losing over 350 of its complement of 680 as it keeled over.[43][46] According to witnesses, Waller was last seen standing on the bridge after he had given the order to abandon ship, "looking down at the silent turrets".[36][47] He was officially listed as missing, presumed killed, and was survived by his wife and sons. Admiral Cunningham described Waller's loss as "a heavy deprivation for the young Navy of Australia", and Rear AdmiralJames Goldrick subsequently called him "the outstanding officer of his generation".[1]
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On 15 March 1946, Waller was awarded a posthumous mention in despatches for "gallantry and resolution" aboard HMASPerth.[7][48] His younger son John followed him into the Navy, entering the RANC in 1947.[5][49] Graduating as chief cadet captain, John Waller became a weapons electrical engineer and attained the rank of commander in 1967, before transferring to the Emergency Reserve as a senior Navy research scientist.[34][50]
Hec Waller's name appears on the Roll of Honour located at Panel 6 in the Commemorative Area at theAustralian War Memorial, Canberra, and on thePlymouth Naval Memorial inDevon, England.[51] He is also commemorated by Waller Crescent and Waller Place in the Canberra suburb ofCampbell.[52][53] The Benalla Costume and Pioneer Museum holds his medals and dress uniform.[54][55] The Waller Division of the RAN Recruit School atHMASCerberus, Victoria, was named in his honour until his name transferred to a division at RAN College in 2013.[56]
HMASWaller, the third of the RAN'sCollins-class submarines to enter service, was commissioned on 10 July 1999. The attendees included Michael Waller, John Waller, Michael Waller's wife, and surviving crewmen of HMASPerth.[54][57] On 13 March 2010, a memorial to Waller was unveiled in his home town of Benalla.[58] In April 2011, he was one of thirteen servicemen—eleven sailors and two soldiers, includingTeddy Sheean,Robert Rankin, andJohn Simpson Kirkpatrick—named by the Australian government for consideration as possible recipients of theVictoria Cross for extreme valour in combat, under a review by the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal; no RAN member had ever been awarded the decoration.[59] Concluding its investigations in February 2013, the tribunal recommended that no further award be made to any of the thirteen servicemen, but that the nameWaller (among others) should continue to be used for RAN ships after the current bearer was decommissioned.[60]
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