One of the least know entities in Australia’s naval past is the Australasian Naval Forces or ANF. In 20111 long-time ANI member, Commander Greg Swinden provided a short history of the ANF in Headmark 141.
The Australasian Naval Forces (ANF)
Firstly let me explain that the Australasian Naval Forces (ANF) and the Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF), and vice versa, are not the same thing. Following Federation in 1901 the various state navies[1] were combined into the Commonwealth Naval Forces, on 1 March 1901, with Captain (later Rear Admiral) William Rooke Creswell in command. This amalgamation didn’t happen overnight and it was not until 1904-05 that any semblance of order was achieved.
Whilst Creswell was busy getting the naval affairs of Australia in order, having inherited a rag tag fleet of different vessels and a conglomeration of varied personnel from the state navies, the naval defence of Australia rested very much with the Royal Navy (RN) and its squadron of ships based on the Australia Station.[2] RN ships had been based in Sydney since the days of the First Fleet and warships were permanently based in Australian waters since the 1820’s and remained so until 1913. Even the creation of the various state navies had not lessened this need; as the state naval vessels were considered only suitable for harbour and close coastal defence.
Creswell was supported by some forward-looking politicians including prime ministers Deakin and Fisher who supported the concept of an independent Australian Navy. The Government commenced ordering purpose built vessels for the new navy. The first of the CNF’s new vessels were the Torpedo Boat Destroyers Parramatta and Yarra which were built in England; arriving in Australian waters in late 1910. It was the CNF that was subsequently granted the title Royal Australian Navy on 10 July 1911.
Following on from the arrival of the two destroyers was the creation of the Australian Fleet Unit consisting of a battle cruiser (Australia) and two cruisers (Melbourne and Sydney) along with four more destroyers and two submarines. A third cruiser (Brisbane) was also planned for construction in Australia. Additionally a number of RN warships such as the cruisers Encounter, Pioneer, Psyche and survey vessel Fantome were loaned or transferred to the new navy.
It was, however, not just the acquisition of new ships that occupied the thoughts of our early naval officers and administrators. The personnel to man the new ships were equally important. Some officers and men had been transferred from the old state navies and a number of ex RN personnel had also joined the CNF. A modest recruiting program for the CNF had begun and a Boys Training Ship and a Naval College were planned but the reality was that these were several years in the future. As part of the program to train Australians to be naval personnel, and possibly in the future alleviate the shortage of trained men, the ANF was created.
Following the 1902 Colonial Conference in London it was agreed that Australians, and New Zealanders, would be permitted to enter the RN for training.[3] This would eventually form a core of trained men who could be accessed by the new Australian navy. The ANF was formed and recruiting started in early May 1904 and 15 year old schoolboy John Garfield Clubb[4] of Balmain, NSW was the first recruit and issued ANF service number 1. Over the next ten years another 1,795 boys and men were enlisted in the ANF from both Australia and New Zealand. These men were effectively RN ratings who signed on for an initial period of five years service[5] and served in the RN ships of the Australian Squadron.
In January/February 1913 the majority of ANF personnel still serving in the RN (i.e. they still had a portion of their five year engagement to complete) were formally transferred to the RAN and many were allocated as commissioning crews to the newly built ships and submarines of the RAN. These men were allocated service numbers in the RAN Service number 7000 series and approximately 400 men were transferred to the RAN.[6] For example Able Seaman Harold ‘Lofty’ Batt (ANF 1344) from Palmerston North, New Zealand was allocated service number 7442 and became commissioning crew of Australia. He had joined the RN in July 1909 as a Boy 2nd Class at Lyttleton, New Zealand and was allocated to HMS Pioneer. He served in the RAN until 1919.[7]
Another example was Ordinary Seaman Erle Boyd (ANF 1646) from Bendigo, Victoria who enlisted in the ANF in March 1911; his first ship was HMS Psyche. When he transferred to the RAN he was allocated service number 7353 and joined the new cruiser Melbourne. Boyd served in the RAN until 1933 and attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. When World War II broke out he returned to the RAN, in January 1940, and served at sea throughout the war and was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for his service in HMAS Manoora.
Several ANF ratings served in the submarine arm of the fledgling RAN and a number lost their lives when HMA Submarine AE1 was lost off New Britain in September 1914. These included Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class John Messenger (ANF 1389/RAN 7291) from Ballarat, Victoria and Stoker Petty Officer John Moloney (ANF 1133/RAN 7299) from Brisbane, Queensland.
Able Seaman Reuben Mitchell (ANF 1448/RAN 7476) also of Ballarat, Victoria enlisted in the ANF in 1910 and later served in the RAN Submarine service and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) for his bravery while serving in the submarine HMS E14 in the Dardanelles campaign in April/May 1915.
Stoker Petty Officer Henry Kinder (ANF 1334/RAN 7244) of Kogarah, New South Wales was awarded a Mention in Dispatches for his service in HMAS AE2; during its penetration of the Dardanelles on 25 April 1915. Kinder later spent several years as a Prisoner of War of the Turks after the AE2 was sunk on 30 April 1915.
Of course not all ANF ratings were effective sailors. Some were a “Kings Hard Bargain” – a lazy and ineffective sailor and several deserted before their period of service was over. Able Seaman Herman Brazendale of New Norfolk, Tasmania enlisted in the ANF in 1911 (ANF 1612/RAN 7866) and served onboard Sydney when she destroyed the German cruiser Emden at Cocos Island on 9 November 1914; but he was a difficult sailor who was frequently in trouble and deserted from the RAN in July 1918.
After the creation of the RAN in 1911, and the Australian Fleet Unit in 1913, the need for the ANF ceased to exist; although RN personnel on loan to the RAN made up nearly 30% of the navy’s manpower. As a result enlistment slowed and no Australians were recruited after October 1912[8] although New Zealanders continued to join up until March 1914. Overall, however, the ANF ratings provided a good source of highly trained manpower at a crucial time in the RAN’s history. In 1913 when the RAN required well trained personnel to man the newly acquired warships the ex-ANF ratings were able to provide that skill and knowledge and with a distinctly Australian flavour.[9]
For those interested in researching the ANF further a good source of information is the ANF Service Records held at the Australian War Memorial (AWM 266). This consists of the individual Attestation Papers for each man who enlisted in the ANF and two large, and rather musty, leather bound ledgers that record the enlistment details and service records of the 1796 Australians and New Zealanders who served in the ANF.
About the Author
Commander Greg Swinden joined the RAN College in 1985 and later studied at ADFA. As a maritime logistics officer he served in a variety of shore postings and at sea in HMA Ships Jervis Bay, Swan, Melbourne and Kanimbla. Greg served ashore in East Timor in 2000 and also in the Middle East / Afghanistan in 2011 and 2014; He received a CJOPS Gold Commendation for his service in Afghanistan. Greg has written a number of books and articles on naval history. He was part of the team that conducted lengthy research to identify the unknown HMAS Sydney II sailor in 2021.
[1] All states except Western Australia had naval forces consisting of ships and NSW and Victoria possessed naval brigades (naval infantry).
[2] The RN ships of the Australian Squadron remained based at Sydney until October 1913 when the first RAN Fleet unit formally arrived in Australian waters. The flagship of the RN Australian Squadron was the cruiser, HMS Cambrian, which saluted the arrival of the Australian Fleet unit on 4 October 1913 and then, nine days later, she and several other British warships departed and returned to England for reassignment or decommissioning. Some ships remained in Australian waters on loan to the RAN such as the cruiser Encounter.
[3] This was linked somewhat to the Australasian Naval Defence Act of 1887 in which the Australian colonies had provided funding for the maintenance and manning of seven warships (five third class cruisers and two torpedo gunboats). Previously manning of the ships in Australia had been purely by RN ratings recruited in Great Britain although several Australian born individuals did travel to England to enlist directly in the RN.
[4] John Garfield Clubb. Born Balmain NSW 7 January 1889. Enlisted in ANF 2 May 1904. Served in HM Ships Mildura, Challenger and Pyramus. He was medically discharged as unfit 19 April 1909.
[5] Noting the five years commenced from the time the man turned 18 so any service before this age (‘Boys Time’) did not count towards the period of service.
[6] Note that ANF ratings who completed their initial service in the RN and were discharged prior to 1913, and who later enlisted in the RAN, would be issued service numbers commensurate with their year of enlistment.
[7] In 1967 Harold Batt published a history of his service in the RN and RAN from 1909-1919 entitled Pioneers of the Royal Australian Navy. This is the only known book written by a member of the ANF.
[8] The last Australian to join the ANF was Leslie Norman Bartholomaues (born at Broken Hill in 1895). He joined the ANF on 22 October 1912 and was allocated service number 1781. He was transferred to the RAN on 22 February 1913 and allocated service number 7868. He was discharged Services No Longer Required (SNLR) on 5 April 1918 following the HMAS Fantomemutiny. The last man to join the ANF was Thomas Henry George Hullah from the Chatham Islands, New Zealand who enlisted on 6 March 1914 and was allocated the last ANF Service Number of 1796.
[9] That said at least 25% of all RAN personnel in 1913 were RN personnel on loan to the RAN and several more were ex-RN members who had joined the RAN directly.
