Page 55 - Memorial Groves

ON THE AFTERNOON of 19 November 1941, HMAS Sydney
and the German raider Kormoran fought a brief but violent ac-
tion off the Western Australian coast. Forced to abandon ship,
the Kormoran ‘s survivors watched as the Sydneymlimped
onwards into the gathering dusk. They were the last to see the
famous Australian warship afloat. The Sydney’s fate was a
mystery for 66 years until her wreck was discovered in march
2008 more than 2km beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean.
The loss f her crew of 645 men remains Australia’s greatest
naval tragedy.
IMAGE: Australian War Memorial P00795.001

PLAQUE NO 86: PLAQUE NO 87:

O/S Neville Owen Lt James Irvine Clifton (1930-32)

Chapman (1936-37) HMAS Sydney

No. 2 Squadron, Austraian Flying Corps
PLAQUE 85: Captain Roy Phillips front row, third from right. HMAS Sydney Jim Clifton (sometimes known as "Scut") lived in Subiaco and attended Hale
School between 1930 and 1932. He was described on his School report as
Squadron Leader Roy Cecil Phillipps MC DFC (1906) Neville Owen Chapman lived in being poor at sports but of fine character. Upon leaving school he joined

Nedlands and attended Hale School the staff of the Bank of Adelaide in Fremantle and studied to become an
in 1936 and 1937. He was described accountant, eventually being admitted to the Commonwealth Institute of
Killed in a flying accident: Accountants in 1936.
21 May, 1941 as being an average student, but with
great ability in art and drawing.
He was a member of the Old Haleian's hockey club, sailed at the Royal
Roy Phillipps became an accountant in Fremantle and then travelled to the Kimberleys to work as a Freshwater Bay Yacht Club and was a member of the Royal Australian Naval
jackeroo/bookkeeper on a station. Upon the outbreak of war he joined Reserve.
the Royal Australian Navy in late 1940
On the outbreak of WWI he joined the 28th Infantry Battalion and served with them on Gallipoli and and in August, 1941 was posted to Upon the outbreak of war he was posted to H.M.A.S. 'Cerberus' in September
then in France. He received a severe leg wound at Fleurs but instead of being repatriated home HMAS ‘Sydney’. 1939. He saw service in Singapore and then was posted to H.M.A.S. 'Sydney'
he transferred to No 68 Squadron of the infant Australian Flying Corps as part of the ground crew in June 1941. He was serving in the Sydney on 20th November of that year,
establishment. He learned to fly and went solo after only one hour forty-five minutes in a Maurice He was serving on the Sydney on 20th during the fatal engagement with the German raider, Kormoran off the coast of
Farman bi-plane. He became a 'fighting scout' pilot and ended the war as the 2nd highest scoring November of that year, during the Western Australia near Geraldton and was one of those 645 sailors who were
'ace' in No 2 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps with several MCs and a DFC. fatal engagement with the German lost. He was 25 years of age.
raider, HSK ‘Kormoran’ off the coast
When World War II broke out he was appointed Squadron Leader Officer Command No 2 Empire of Western Australia near Geraldton Placed by his brother, Mr Doug Clifton (1934-36), who also served on the
Flight Training Scheme at Archerfield in Brisbane. and was one of those 645 sailors who Sydney but who was fortunate enough to be drafted onto a course at
were lost. He was 19 years of age.
Flinders naval depot before the fatal action, assisted by his daughter, and
Placed by his Old Haleian nephew, Mr Tony Lloyd (1967-69). niece of Jim and Steve, Mrs Mary Pfister.