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Captain Hector WallerPrint Page Print this page

Information Plaque : 13-October-2015
Information Plaque : 13-October-2015

Photographs supplied by Graeme Saunders / Roger Johnson / Peter F Williams / Sandra Brown

The monument commemorates Captain Hector Waller and all service personnel who have died at sea.

Captain Hector Waller was widely considered to have been the outstanding naval officer of his generation. He was once described by his British Commander-in-Chief as one of the greatest captains who ever sailed the seas. He was the captain of the light cruiser H.M.A.S. Perth (D29) in the Second World War. In a naval career spanning almost 30 years, he served his country in two world wars. Waller went down with his ship (H.M.A.S. Perth accompanied by the USS Houston) when it encountered a Japanese invasion fleet consisting of two cruisers and twelve destroyers in the Battle of Sunda Strait at the beginning of March 1942.

From a crew of 682 men, only 229 returned to Australia. Many survivors of the H.M.A.S. Perth sinking had died as prisoners of war.

Location

Address:Bridge Street (Midland Highway), Benalla Botanical Gardens, Benalla, 3672
State:VIC
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -36.553464
Long: 145.978759
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Military
Artist:Louis Laumen
Monument Manufacturer:A. C. & R. J. Lau Pty Ltd ( Stonemasons)

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 14th March, 2010
Front Inscription

To the memory of all men and women lost at sea on operational service

 

 

Left Side Inscription

 Comments by Hec`s senior officers in 1941 :

"One of the greatest Captains who ever sailed the seas"

"A first class fighting leader whose cheery, bouyant and resolute outlook brushes difficulty aside and gets the best out of those serving with him."

 

Right Side Inscription

Captain Hec Waller
DSO and Bar RAN

 

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au