Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand and is held as a national day of remembrance on April 25 every year.
While ANZAC day focuses on ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, ANZAC day has come to commemorate more broadly those who fell in both World Wars and in more recent conflicts. It also importantly serves to remember those who participated in any sphere, in any of those conflicts and have passed on since completing their service.
The importance now placed on ANZAC Day (known as Remembrance Day in the UK and commemorated on the second Sunday in November), has grown phenomenally worldwide, including in the Pitcairn Islands. Other countries that hold ceremonies include Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, Thailand, Germany, France, USA, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Ireland, Turkey, PNG and the Pacific countries – French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.
Pitcairn has adopted the Pacific commemorative date and name and each year the community meets in the Adamstown Square at dawn to pay respects to those who have passed on. Wreaths are laid, flags flown and speeches made. With Walma Warren, the last surviving Pitcairner who served in WWII passing on in 2009, the Pitcairn Islanders believe it is timely to commemorate this important service with a stamp issue naming all those Pitcairners who served.
A set of four stamps were issued of which only two are important for the ship stamp collector, not a name given on the stamp which ship is depict, I got the following reply after asking the stamp designer Denise Durkin which ship was depict.
The ship on the $1.80 stamp is the HMS LEANDER somewhere in a Middle East port. The troopship on the $4.00 stamp is one of the six ships which left on 5 January 1940 New Zealand in convoy, she were STRATHAIRD, EMPRESS OF CANADA, ORION, RANGITIRA, DUNRAE or SOBIESKI, comparing the ship on the stamp with photo’s of the ships, she must be the SOBIESKI. (See index list for her details.)
Built as a cruiser by the Devonport Dry-dock for the Royal Navy.
08 September 1930 keel laid down.
24 September 1931 launched as the HMS LEANDER, she was the lead ship of her class of eight ships.
Displacement 7,270 standard, 9,189 full load. Dim. 169.1 x 17 x 5.8m. (draught)
Powered by four Parson geared steam turbines, 72,000 shp, four shaft, speed 32.5 knots.
Armament : 8 – 6 inch, 4 – 4 inch A A, 12 – 0.5 machine guns and 8 – 21 inch torpedo tubes.
Range by a speed of 13 knots, 5,730 miles.
Carried one aircraft launched via a catapult.
Crew 570.
23 March 1933 commissioned.
She was the first 6 inch gun vessel built since 1918 in the Royal Navy, and also the first single funnelled cruiser. Her launching ceremony was broadcast nationally.
From 1933 till 1937 flagship of the Second Cruiser Squadron in the British Home Fleet.
1936 She was nominated for transfer to the New Zealand Division, but due to the outbreak of the Spanish civil war the transfer was postponed to the next year
April 1937 she was transferred to the New Zealand Division, and after attending the Coronation Review on 20 May 1937 at Spithead she left Great Britain and via the Panama Canal she arrived in New Zealand.
1939 She carries the first unit of the New Zealand Army overseas, two officers and 30 men were carried to Fanning Island to protect cable installations.
Prior to the outbreak of war she receives in 1939 new 4 inch twin guns mounts, to replace the single mounts., and she was fitted out to carry a Walrus amphibian plane in the amidships on a platform behind the funnel.
05 January 1940 escorted the troopships DUNERA and SOBIESKI to join convoy US1 at Wellington.
Then she escorted the Convoy US 1 to Australia, where after she returned to Auckland.
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02 May 1940 she escorted Convoy US2, after arrival Sydney relieved. She rejoins Convoy US3 to escort troopships to the Indian Ocean from Australia.
16 May received orders to proceed to Alexandria, Egypt. Where she arrived on 26th May. She joined the 7th Cruiser Squadron.
31 May transferred to the East Indies Squadron, in the Red Sea Forces based in Aden.
8 June she intercepted the Italian liner UMBRIA which was being shadowed by HMS GRIMSBY.
11 June she took off crew of the UMBRIA which scuttled at Port Sudan.
The rest of 1940 used for patrols and escort of convoys in the waters of the Indian Ocean.
21 January 1941 transferred to the 4th Cruiser Squadron at Colombo.
27 February 1941 she spotted an unknown vessel off Maldives, which proved to be the Italian liner RAM 1.
She engaged the enemy ship that was hit and then scuttled; she rescued the survivors and proceeded to Addu Atoll where the prisoners were landed.
She resumed her patrol duty in the Indian Ocean.
23 March intercepted the Vichy French merchant ship CHARLES LD and after taken the vessel was brought to Mauritius.
23 May transferred to the Mediterranean and arrived 2 June at Alexandria, where a 2 pdr. quadruple pom-pom was installed, her aircraft and platform were removed, and 5 – 20mm guns placed.
Then used for patrol duties in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Transported also army personnel to Greece to reinforce the force there.
31 July 1941 sailed from Ports Said to Colombo for routine inspections, then she sailed to Fremantle, Australia
After arrival in Sydney she rejoined the New Zealand Division.
05 September 1941 escorted troopship AQUITANIA to Wellington, then she sailed to Auckland where she arrived on 8 September.
From 12 September she underwent a refit at the Devonport Dockyard in Auckland.
01 October 1941 the Royal New Zealand Navy was formed and she became the HMNZS LEANDER (C75).
After her post refit trials were carried out she escorted in December 1941 two military convoys to Suva.
31 January 1942 nominated to join the ANZAC Squadron for operations in the south west Pacific.
13 July 1943 operating with the U.S. Task force in the Second Battle of Kula Gulf in the Solomon’s Islands.
She lost 3 men, 24 were missing and 8 injured.
She was hit that day by a torpedo which caused extensive damage.
She limped back to Auckland for repair where she arrived on 29 July.
23 November sailed to the Boston Navy yard. for repair, sailed via the Panama Canal and arrived Boston, Mass on 23 December 1943.
May 1944 returned to Royal Navy control
Till June 1945 at Boston under repair and refit, hereafter she returned to the United Kingdom on 27 August 1945, and after a call in Montreal to embark gold reserves she sailed across the North Atlantic to the U.K.
During 1946 repairs were carried out at Tyneside dockyard and then at Portsmouth.
September 1946 recommissioned for service in the 1sr Cruiser Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet.
December 1947 paid off at Chatham in reserve.
1948 Laid up in the Fall River waiting for disposal.
15 December 1949 sold to BISCO for scrapping by Hughes Bolckow & Co. Ltd., at Blyth.
12 January 1950 left Devonport under tow and arrived 15 January 1950 at Blyth for scrapping.
Pitcairn 2010 $4.00 sg?, scott?
Source: Wikipedia. Australian & New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 by Ross Gillett. http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono ... eander.htm Pitcairn Island Post web-site.