Steam Ship Wiltshire ….an ANZAC Memorial?

83 years ago, Great Barrier Island and the 12,160 ton steam ship Wiltshire (Capt.Hayward) met on a filthy black night of torrential rain and heavy seas. It made a short life of this ship which had carried so many NZ troops to the Middle East in the Great War of 1914-18, many never to return. Built in 1912, it was only 10 years old when it hit rocks just north of Rosalie Bay, disgorging its 113 crew without loss over 48 tense hours.

 H.M.A.T. Wiltshire in March, 1916

The Australian cruisers Sydney and Melbourne, H.M.Ships Psyche, Pyramus and Minotaur provided naval escorts for the convoy which weighed anchor on Nov.1^st, 1914. The flagship was the Orvieto, Commander General Bridges. Military historian, C.E.W. Bean, described the departure as follows :

"By the night of Oct.31st, the coaling and watering of transports were completed. The last sick man had been sent ashore. No leave had been given to the men in Albany, and General Bridges had therefore in principle refused it to officers. At 6.25 on the morning of November 1st., in bright sunlight, with the harbour glassily smooth, the Minotaur and Sydney up-anchored and moved out between the sun-bathed hills to sea. At 6.45 the central line of ships (known as the "first division" of the convoy) started, the inshore ship (Orvieto) leading, and each of the others turning to follow as the line passed them. Half an hour later the second division of transports flowed; then the third; finally the New Zealanders in two divisions. Outside the harbour the first division had stopped and was waiting on the motionless sea. The second, with the Wiltshire leading, came up until it lay parallel about a mile away on the port beam; the third division moved up similarly on the starboard side. The New Zealand ships swung in astern of the three Australian divisions. In each line there were about 800 yards between each ship and her next astern, so that the convoy was about seven and a half miles in length. The Minotaur took station five miles ahead, and the Sydney and Melbourne about four miles away on either beam.

At 8.55 the whole fleet moved ahead - thirty-six transports and three escorting cruisers. Two days later, the Ibuki with the great liners Ascanius and Medic carrying troops from South and Western Australia, was found waiting beside the route on the high seas, half-obscured by a rain squall. The two transports took up their places on the line. The Ibuki moved into the Melbourne's position on the starboard beam, while the Melbourne dropped immediately astern of the convoy. The whole fleet then headed for the Cocos Islands."

(C.E.W. Bean, The Story of Anzac from the outbreak of war to the end of the first phase of the Gallipoli Campaign, May 4, 1915. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1939, p. 98-99)

“Nov. 8^th… At sea. Many of the men ill….what a sight this great convoy makes as it ploughs across the brilliant blue sea: the lines of ships, the slower troopships shepherded by the warships, the wakes churning the water to foam, the strings of flying fish…the huge pillars of black smoke from the mighty engines! At night, for fear of the Emden, all ships are darkened except for a few hooded lights.

Nov. 9^th…HMAS Sydney left us at high speed, her four funnels belching great clouds of smoke as she disappeared over the horizon…a rumour has flashed around…that she has gone to fight the Emden lurking somewhere to the north.

Nov. 10^th… the Sydney has sunk the Emden after a dreadful battle off the Cocos Island! …we all feel much safer…” (from ‘Gallipoli’ Jack Bennet –to add a bit of colour).

The German light cruiser Emden (Capt. Muller), after a spectacular run of raiding success, made a mistake in attacking the signal station at the Cocos Islands, 1000m SW of Jakarta, which sent out a distress signal. Sydney immediately raced to the attack. The Emden was run aground and surrendered, and if the recent tsunami hasn’t finally erased her, she is still visible there today.

 Don Armitage (Copyright) 2005.

 

The Wiltshire, a steel twin-screw five masted insulated cargo steamer of 12,169 tons gross, built by John Brown and Co., Limited at Clydebank in 1912 and owned by the Federal Steam Navigation Company, Limited was driven ashore during a terrific easterly gale with blinding driving rain. She was swept by mountainous seas, which dashed against the precipitous cliffs of the inhabited shore of Rosalie Bay. The vessel broke in two and the after part disappeared in the after. The crew assembled on the fore part, the Auckland tug Arahura approached the wreck, at great peril, but was beaten by the waves. Late yesterday afternoon a life line drifted ashore from the wreck and four men landed. She carried 8,750 tons of general cargo. She had loaded at Avonmouth, Glasgow, and Liverpool, which last port she left on April 22. At the time of the disaster she was inward bound to Auckland. The Wiltshire was in command of Captain Hayward, the Commodore of the Federal Steam Navigation Company, which trades regularly between the United Kingdom and Australian ports. Besides the captain, the Wiltshire carried four navigating officers and ten engineers. Three wireless operators were on board. The total ship's company was 103.                                       The Times, Friday, Jun 02, 1922; pg. 8

The Wiltshire Liner's Crew Saved. Gallant Work Of Rescuers., Two Day's Fearful Ordeal. Twelve had been landed when parties from the tug Katoa and the cruiser Philomel arrived with better apparatus. It was then possible to save four men in six minutes, and this rate of rescue was maintained until the last Wiltshire man was safely on the cliffs. The relief parties had worked to the limit if endurance and happily no one was injured. Thirty of the crew are camping over night under rain-sodden trees, as the tracks across the island are impassable in the darkness. Others are housed on the steamers. Captain Hayward was on the bridge when the vessel struck. Suddenly the look-out crow's nest shouted, "Breakers ahead."                                                                      The Times, Saturday, Jun 03, 1922; pg. 8

Wrecked Wiltshire Liner Verdict. Captain Hayward made two errors of judgement - the first in proceeding at full speed for an hour after the expected time for picking up the Cuvier Light, and the second, in his failure to accept the notification of danger from soundings.                                   The Times, Monday, Jun 26, 1922; pg. 7;

 

A18 SS Wiltshire leaving Port Melbourne, possibly with 4th Light Horse Regiment and 2nd Field Ambulance on board on 19 October 1914.

The 4th Light Horse Regiment received many reinforcements throughout the course of the war. The regiment initially departed Melbourne on the SS Wiltshire on 18(or 19th?) October 1914.

Reinforcements were also sent by the Wiltshire on the following occasions- 

 4th Reinforcements departed Melbourne on SS Wiltshire 13 April 1915, 

32nd Reinforcements departed Sydney on SS Wiltshire 2 February 1918

 

 

Breckon, Arthur Ninnis, (1887-1965), photographed the wreck of the Wiltshire on Great Barrier Island in 1922

Biography

:

Chief photographer for New Zealand Herald and Weekly News ca 1920-1940. Born in Hamilton, worked as commercial photographer before joining the New Zealand Herald ca 1910. He photographed ….the wreck of the Wiltshire on Great Barrier Island in 1922. He retired in 1940, and died in Auckland. Father of Aubrey Arthur Ninnis Breckon (1913-1989) Source: New Zealand Herald, 6 September 1965. Source-ATLibrary Tapuhi

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One of the anchors off the Wiltshire was hauled up around 1980-1, and lies today on the front lawn of the Great Barrier Lodge, the salvage having been organised by Bill Cook. A large trawler was apparently used.

-Source- perscom Glen Tarrant 8^th Oct, 2008.

Another source says that a barge was used. If anybody has information and or photos of this project, please contact Great Barrier Lodge or myself Don Armitage -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A postcard written aboard the Wiltshire by an Australian soldier on the same voyage as the Emden was sunk, and below, the reverse side of the postcard:

There are stories and a few pictures published in the

 Auckland Weekly News, page 52, June 15th, 1922.