Hector Waller

HMAS Stuart, pictured in 1938, came under Waller's command when World War II began.

At the outbreak of World War II, Waller was appointed captain of HMAS Stuart, taking charge of a group of four other obsolete ex-RN destroyers—HMA Ships Vampire, Vendetta, Voyager, and Waterhen—that the Germans later nicknamed the "Scrap Iron Flotilla".[1][19] The ships were en route to Singapore for training when the British and Australian governments agreed that they should be assigned to the Mediterranean as the 19th Destroyer Division, under Waller's control.[20] Arriving at Malta 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 the Trocas, 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 to captain.[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 personally blew up floating mines using a rifle and armour-piercing bullets. On 21 June, Stuart shelled the Italian-held town of Bardia.[21] The next month, his 10th Destroyer Flotilla participated in the Battle of Calabria.[1] Waller's ships carried out bombardments of Fort Capuzzo on 17 August and an Italian seaplane base in the Gulf of Bomba one week later.[22] In September, he was awarded the Distinguished 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 HMAS Vampire while Stuart went in for refit.[24] As the Allied armies began to counterattack Italian forces in December 1940, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, gave Waller command of the newly formed Inshore Squadron, comprising destroyers, minesweepers, and auxiliaries. In his role as Cunningham's Senior Officer Afloat, Waller took charge of naval support for the attack on Bardia, which fell to the Allies on 5 January 1941.[25][26] Shortly afterward, he handed over command of the Inshore Squadron and transferred back aboard Stuart.[26]

Stuart and other ships of Waller's 10th Destroyer Flotilla supported the assaults on Tobruk in January 1941 and Benghazi the following month.[27] In March, Stuart escorted Allied troop transports to Greece as part of Operation Lustre, narrowly avoiding falling victim to Axis dive-bomber attacks.[28] During the Battle 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 the siege of Tobruk, carrying supplies to the town's garrison and evacuating the wounded.[25][29] Waller was mentioned 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 a Bar 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 to Alexandria by Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Cunningham escorted him to Stuart 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-recurring Saint Crispin's Days of human affairs".[35][36]

HMAS Perth, Waller's final command

Departing the Mediterranean, Waller returned to Australia in August 1941 for service in the South West Pacific.[37] On 24 October, he took command of the light cruiser HMAS Perth, berthed in Sydney.[38] Perth had also lately returned from action in the Mediterranean, where she had participated in the Greek, Cretan, and Syrian 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 prepared Perth for action quickly.[40] In January 1942, the ship was assigned to American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) to help defend the Dutch East Indies. She set sail for the ABDA Area on 15 February, the day that Singapore surrendered.[41]

The ABDA Striking Force that Perth had joined was crushed by an overwhelming Japanese force at the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February. Low on ammunition, Waller made the decision to withdraw, accompanied by the heavy cruiser USS Houston under the command of Captain Albert H. Rooks. Waller's action contravened the orders of his Dutch superior, Admiral Conrad 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 and Houston were attempting to break through the Sunda Strait to Australia when they encountered a Japanese invasion fleet escorted by an aircraft carrier, a seaplane tender, four heavy cruisers, a light cruiser and eleven destroyers.[43][44] As senior officer, Waller was in the lead with Perth and gave the order to fire upon making contact with the enemy ships just after 11:00 pm.[45] In the ensuing 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 Admiral James Goldrick subsequently called him "the outstanding officer of his generation".[1]

• Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin (2008) [1995]. The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-551784-2.
• Eldridge, Frank Burgess (1949). A History of the Royal Australian Naval College. Melbourne: Georgian House. OCLC 14472805.
• Frame, Tom (2004). No Pleasure Cruise: The Story of the Royal Australian Navy. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-74114-233-4.
• Gill, George Hermon (1957). Royal Australian Navy, 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
• Lewis, Tom (September 2004). "The Navy's Finest Fighting Leader: Captain 'Hec' Waller, DSO and Bar, RAN". The Journal of Australian Naval History. Sydney: Naval Historical Society of Australia. 1 (1).
• McKie, Ronald Cecil Hamlyn (1953). Proud Echo. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. OCLC 3611533.
• Stevens, David, ed. (1996). The Royal Australian Navy in World War II. St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-035-1.
• Stevens, David, ed. (2001). The Royal Australian Navy: A History. Australian Centenary History of Defence. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-554116-2.