Website designer

Fiona Gatt

This website was designed by www.fionagatt.com, a web designer, writer, editor and publisher for hire working from Central Victoria Australia, but with clients internationally.

Fiona enjoys the rewarding challenge of working with clients to see their ideas published, whether that be in print, in eBook format or as a website.

Fiona has worked on the Internet since before it was a routine part of every day existence.

Click here to view a portfolio of websites Fiona has been involved in over the past year.

Published work
Great Aunt Cecelia (Weekend Reads)
Top Ten Apps for Turning Your Android Device Into a Personal Assistant
Top Ten Crucial Ways to Secure Your Android Device
The Top Ten Free Android Apps for Weight Loss
Turn Your Android Phone or Tablet into a Multimedia Hub

gattfiona@gmail.com

Consulting Editor

Graeme Lofts B.Sc(Ed), B.Ed, M.Ed.

Graeme Lofts B.Sc(Ed), B.Ed, M.Ed.
Photo – courtesy Graeme Lofts

TEACHER and LECTURER

• Teacher of Physics, Science and Mathematics at secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia and Denver, Colorado.
• Lecturer in Science Education and Methods of Teaching at the University of Melbourne and RMIT University, and Curriculum Development at the University of Melbourne

AUTHOR of

         "Science Quest”.  Award winning series of educational text books and interactive material,    
            first published 1996.
         "Science Quest 1" and "Science Quest 2" were shortlisted in the ‘Best Series’ category
            of "The Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing". The first two Science
            Quest books were subsequently named as the winner of that category and the overall winner

"Jacaranda Physics"   
 -  A series of educational text books and interactive material, first published 1997, now into  
    its third edition published in 2009.
 -  Indonesian translation "Jacaranda Fisika" published in 2008.

“Australia’s Dangerous Creatures for Dummies”, 2008

          “Heart & Soul, Australia’s First Families of Wine”
           -  Published 2010.
           -  Ranked Second in the "New World Wines" category of the global "2011 Gourmand World   
               Cookbook Awards" held in Paris,  March 2012.
           -  The Mandarin translation published in December 2012 was judged Third in "The Best
               Translation" category of the global "2013 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards"
               held in Beijing, China, in May 2014.

Author & Webmaster

Author & Webmaster - Clive Sharplin

“From a Past Life”
In Transit, Panama Canal, August 1958 
My first deep sea voyage
M.V. Wellington Star (Blue Star Line)
Photo: Sharplin family archive 

Coming from a family where the past four out of five paternal generations together with my father’s elder brother, my mother’s brother-in-law, one of my brothers-in-law and two great uncles all served in the Royal Navy one could reasonably assume that I would follow suit. Certainly I can readily recall that when I was approaching the first point of a career decision with one year remaining I was at Holcombe, Chatham Technical School for Boys, ensconced in the mock Tudor grand house which was its main building and once the home of one of the Kent family Style & Winch brewery owners. I decided to start with an Admiralty Apprenticeship in the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham which I entered, aged 16, by way of a written examination as an indentured Marine Engine Fitter for five years.



Auckland Harbour, New Zealand, September 1958
aboard  M.V. Wellington Star (Note 1)
Photo: Sharplin family archive
 

At the second career decision point near the end of those five years, which included studying at The Admiralty’s Chatham Dockyard Technical College, I considered three choices. To enter the Royal Navy in the rank of a Petty Officer Engine Room Artificer, or as an Engineer Officer in either the Royal Fleet Auxiliary which operates the fleet replenishment and support vessels to the Royal Navy under the blue ensign rather than the white, or as an Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy? For better or worse I chose the latter where I spent my next few years with Blue Star Line, one of the largest British fleets.


It was a choice I have never regretted as it taught me to accept total responsibility, gave me a strong sense of duty and a deep work ethic, all of which still manifest themselves today in my more mature years of retirement.

All through my life the sea has influenced me and since leaving it I have been fortunate that my profession involved me in both national and multinational engineering environments giving me long periods still associated with ships, naval and merchant, and marine engineering. I consider myself doubly fortunate that my service in the British Merchant Navy in the late 50’s and early 60’s was at the period now regarded as to when it was at its zenith in size, quality and prominent place in the global fleet.

So I have moved from the schoolboy in Kent who devoured C.S. Forester’s “Hornblower” novels to now in retirement in Australia impatiently waiting for Julian Stockwin’s next “Thomas Kydd” novel while enjoying my continual research for this website.




 MV Wellington Star (2)   
Outward bound in the English Channel, probably mid 1950’s
Blue Star Line Postcard
(Note 1)
 

Note 1.
            My first ship. Built by John Brown Clydebank in 1952, MV "Wellington Star" had the largest refrigerator space at 594,560 cubic feet of any ship ever owned by Blue Star or of any other ship on the London to New Zealand trade. Her naval architects gave her what was to become recognised as the classic Blue Star Line profile. Of 12,539 grt she was fitted with two John Brown Doxford oil engines.  At this time Blue Star Line with some 40 deep sea ships had one of the largest fleets within the British mercantile marine.

SHIP'S PARTICULARS**
  Builder: John Brown & Co. Ltd., Clydebank, Scotland
  Order No: 184692
  Yard No: 670
  IMO No. 5387439
  Call sign: GNPD
  Keel laid: 31st March 1951
  Launched: 7th May 1952 as "Wellington Star"' for Blue Star Line Ltd.
  Completed: August 1952
  Ran trials: 29th August 1952
  Type: Refrigerated Cargo Liner
  Dimensions: 522.2 x 72.7 x 37.1 feet
  Tonnage: 12,539 gross
  Propulsion: Two 6-Cyl, 2SCSA Doxford oil engines by shipbuilder, driving twin screws developing
           14,700 BHP
  Sold: November 1975 to Broadbay Shipping Co. Ltd., Panama and renamed "Hawkes Bay",             July 1976 completed conversion to a partial livestock carrier by Keppel Tuas Shipyard,  
            Singapore.              
  Fate: Sold and on 14th August 1979 delivered Nan Kwan Steel & Iron Co. Ltd., Taiwan and arrived
           at Kaohsiung  9th August 1979 to be broken up.  

             ** Particulars sourced from (ibid) "Blue Star Line a Fleet History" by Tony Atkinson.
  

Ajax Prints ®

Victoria Australia

www.hmsajaxatcrete.com.au

ABN (Australian Business Number): 53 509 791 496

Audio to be added

http://www.whistlemuseum.com/2012/03/29/boatswains-call-history-timeline-examples-and-more.aspx Click here to play an audio clip of 'Pipe the Side Call Whistle'

Click here to here a recording of the All Hands Call Whistle - 'The Still'

Automatic hyperlink to connect as this image comes onto screen http://whistlemuseum.com/files/115671-107959/Boatwains_call_All_Hands.wav All Hands Call Whistle “The Still”
PRESS HERE FOR “THE STILL” TO BE PIPED

Giclee Print Care

So What Is A Giclée Print?

Giclée is a printing process with its name, pronounced “zhee – clay”, being derived from the French term meaning "spray of ink". The Giclée process gives one of the finest digital prints that can be created from an original work with the resulting Giclée Print itself being a work of fine art quality by using archival inks, high-resolution inkjet printing technology, techniques and specialist papers.
Properly executed a Giclée Print is practically indiscernible in colour and definition from the original work. The paper stock used by our printer is Crane Museo Silver Rag 300gsm Fine Art, 100% Cotton, Zero OBA, is Acid Free and Buffered, The prints are produced using 10 Colour Epson Ultra Chrome High Dynamic Range Ink. The printers using this process tend to be those who are constantly seeking to drive quality in their business to achieve the highest product standards in their industry. Our printer, Tony Knight, the most awarded in Australia for the quality of his work, is arguably Australia’s finest printer. Visit him at www.tonyknight.com.au


With the use of this fine acid free archival paper stock our prints are of archival quality which when properly mounted and cared for under gallery conditions will retain their colour brilliance, freshness and stability for generations to come with a life expectancy of up to 100 years being quite reasonable.

Giclée Print Care

Giclée prints should be treated with exactly the same care as would be given to any piece of fine art. The printed surface should only be handled when wearing gloves as dirt and oils may damage the image, similarly when handling the paper, gloves avoid damage to the paper caused by fingerprints or smudges to the surface. Avoiding placing the framed Print in bright sunlight will substantially assist the colour preservation.

Framing A Giclée Print

Giclée Prints should be framed with a mat under glass with the use of only acid-free materials being critical, they should never be mounted flat to the glass without a mat as this will result in a dramatically reduced life. There are even a range of glass types which will contribute to a long life print. If it is to be used for archival purposes there are appropriate standards to guide the framer plus there are specialists framers experienced in this work who will certify their framing as “archival compliant”. If you are at all confused by this please contact us for more detailed advice.

Giclée Fine Art Limited Edition Prints are an Investment

That Fine Art has an intrinsic value is a fact that cannot be disputed. Fine Art Limited Edition Prints retain their value because only a limited number of them can ever be available to any market. As scarcity increases value, so a limited edition will increase in value when the final Print is sold, but, in many cases the Print price actually increases while the Edition is selling so the closer the Edition comes to selling out the higher the price becomes. It is not unusual for the final Print price to be several times that at which the first Prints were sold.

Certificates of Authenticity

In common with other providers of quality Limited Editions of Fine Art Prints, Ajax Prints will issue a uniquely numbered Certificate of Authenticity with each Ajax Print. This provides the Owner firstly with its guaranteed authenticity, a proof of ownership for insurance purposes and a record of the Print’s provenance for possible future sale.

Ajax Prints ®

Victoria Australia

www.hmsajaxatcrete.com.au

ABN (Australian Business Number): 53 509 791 496

The Artist

The Artist, Wallace Trickett, in his Otaki studio
Photo courtesy of Wallace Trickett ©

From his studio near Wellington in New Zealand, Wallace Trickett has won recognition as a noted professional artist, not only in that country but also in Europe (particularly the UK), Australia, Asia and the USA.

For 25 years he was a cartoon artist to various New Zealand newspapers and magazines but retired from that in 2009 to devote more time to his painting. While he paints across all genres, his speciality and passion is transport of all types, particularly ships. His work from commissions is wide and varied, including a series of twenty-two for BP Oil (NZ), and another for Maersk Line, which has one of the largest fleets of ships in the world. The majority of the Maersk Line ships have at least one of his paintings in their interior decor. Wallace’s work has been published extensively and internationally in various books, magazines such as ‘Sea Breezes’ and trade journals plus illustrating several book covers including ‘Sailing the Seven Seas of History’.

His work is exhibited in several New Zealand galleries and there are occasional private exhibitions devoted entirely to his work. His transport montage mural at the Southward Car Museum is the largest such mural in the country. He was mentioned in the 2010 London Battle of Britain Ceremony for two paintings that were commissioned by the family of Air Marshal Sir Keith Park. They depicted the (English) Southern Railway’s locomotive which was named after Sir Keith. A New Zealander, Sir Keith had gained a reputation as a shrewd tactician with an astute grasp of strategic issues, most notably during his command of the RAF’s number 11 Fighters Group in the Battle of Britain. This locomotive had just been restored after being out of service for 45 years.

Inspired by five years as an Engineer Officer with Blue Star Line, Wallace is steadily working through portraying each of the extensive list of ships they have owned since the company was first registered on 28th July 1911. At last count he had completed 109 of them, which are now with various owners around the globe, including this author. His Naval works include the battleship HMS Rodney engaging the German battleship Bismark and HMS Achilles in action at the Battle of the River Plate. Achilles was a sister ship to Ajax manned by a New Zealand crew (Note 1).

Notes:
1. At that time the Achilles was a member of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, manned
    mostly by a New Zealand crew. On 1 October 1941 by a British Order in Council the New Zealand
    Division of the Royal Navy became the Royal New Zealand Navy and thus changed the
    abbreviation HMS to HMNZS.

wallacetrickett@vodafone.co.nz

The Painting

H.M.S. AJAX AT THE BATTLE FOR CRETE

Oils on Board by Wallace Trickett, 30” x 20”

 

 

0915 hrs, 21st May, 1941
In the Mediterranean on 21st May 1941, the day after German airborne forces invaded Crete, daylight found the Royal Navy’s Leander Class light cruiser H.M.S. Ajax deployed as part of their Force D to help defend the island from seaborne invasion. At 0825 the ship’s log reads ‘Hands to repel aircraft stations’ to confront an imminent attack by German Heinkel 111 bombers. At 0915 the log reads ‘Attacked by 10 Ju 87 dive bombers, several very near misses with bombs, damage to port shafts’. It is this precise moment which this painting has attempted to capture. Ajax is shown in the painting as working up to high speed commencing an evasive hard turn as her orders were ‘manoeuvre to avoid (air attack)’. This attack ceased at 0922, the whole action had lasted just seven minutes although it must have seemed like an eternity to Ajax’s crew. The Luftwaffe was relentless as a little later at 1050 a pair of Stukas attacked. Then in the afternoon there was another ferocious attack that lasted for 2½ hours followed by a further attack that evening.

The painting commissioned by Clive Sharplin and Wendy White is dedicated to the memory of their father, Robert (Bob) John Sharplin, Chief Mechanician First Class, Chatham Division, Royal Navy, on the 100th anniversary of his birth on June 4th 1911, to his shipmates and all who served in the cruiser H.M.S. Ajax and the Ajax which followed, a frigate, which was in commission from 1963 until 1985. Also to the Town of Ajax in Ontario, Canada, named by its community after this cruiser H.M.S. Ajax.

The painting image and this publication are copyright © Clive R Sharplin, 2011, with all rights reserved.

Photo courtesy of Ajax Town Council ©

A framed print of the Painting was hung in the Town Hall of Ajax, Ontario, Canada, in a small ceremony on 19th January 2012 immediately following the General Government Committee Meeting at which the Print had been presented to the Council. The individuals in the photo were the then Council Members of the Town of Ajax:- Left to right are: Colleen Jordan, Regional Councillor Wards 3 & 4; Joanne Dies, Councillor Ward 3; Marilyn Crawford, Councillor Ward 1; Mayor Steve Parish; (right side of photo) Renrick Ashby, Councillor Ward 2; Pat Brown, Councillor Ward 4; Shaun Collier, Regional Councillor Ward 1 & 2.

The sheer confrontational energy of the painting, with its evocative emotion of the Royal Navy displaying its fighting prowess and other qualities built up over centuries of service to the realm, makes this full colour print a wonderful and very special piece of naval memorabilia. It would be a valued gift for all those connected in any way with HMS Ajax, the Royal Navy or just for those interested in maritime history and militaria.

The full colour prints are available in two sizes to complement your home, study or office décor, photo library or galleries and museums. The print process, based upon an 80+ megapixel camera’s photographic image of the painting combined with the skills of arguably Australia’s finest printer, ensure absolute lifelike ‘true to painting’ definition and colour.

Ajax Limited Edition Fine Art Prints are printed using the Giclée process on specialist certified paper having a life expectancy of over 100 years under gallery conditions, giving maximum paper durability and stability to safeguard the freshness and colours of your Ajax Print for generations to come.

These prints are only available “unframed” for ease of shipment thus offering the owner a personal choice in framing. Each print has a border with the ship’s crest and motto at the top. In the lower border is the title with the date of the action and the artist’s name thus giving the owner a choice of leaving the border on or trimming it off. All Ajax Prints are despatched rolled in a strong cardboard tube; within Australia by registered post and for overseas deliveries by registered airmail. A leaflet fully describing the action depicted accompanies each print.
 
It is also available as a folded Greetings Card with blank interior.

Refer to the Order Page for details of these uniquely numbered Limited Edition Fine Art Prints, prices and worldwide delivery etc.

Jerry Kirk (Guest Speaker), Ken Jones (A&RPVA), Admiral “Tubby” Jones (Guest), Peter Danks (President A&RPVA)
Photo by Cliff Hoppe ©, courtesy of the HMS Ajax & River Plate Veterans Association Archive
 

A Print of the Painting was donated by Bob’s children, Clive Sharplin and Wendy White, to the HMS

Ajax & River Plate Veterans Association at their 2011 Annual General Meeting (pictured above).

FOR SALE

LIMITED EDITION FINE ART ARCHIVAL QUALITY 

Giclée PRINTS

Print available in two sizes:

Full size with borders 36” x 28” (91.4 x 71.1cms), Image size 30” x 20” (76.2 x 50.8cms)
Half size with borders 19” x 15” (48.3 x 38.1cms), Image size 15” x 10” (38.1 x 25.4cms)

Also available as a greeting card:

A single folded greeting card with plain interior in packs of 5, overall size 11.75” x 3.9” (30 x 10 cms)

Order Here

NEC QUISQUAM NISI AJAX
(None But Ajax Can Overcome Ajax)

Ajax Prints ®

Victoria Australia

www.hmsajaxatcrete.com.au

ABN (Australian Business Number): 53 509 791 496

The Printer

Our Printer, Tony Knight, is one of Australia’s most awarded and highly regarded Printers and Photographers. With numerous national awards to his credit for Print and Photography, Tony has earned a prestigious reputation within the Australian printing industry where he was not only the proud recipient of many industry awards but won the “ ‘Best of the Best’ Judges Choice Award for Outstanding Excellence” at the 26th Australian National Print Awards; the ultimate Australian printing industry accolade.

Now located in a state of the art studio in Melbourne’s eastern fringe with a specialist business pioneering new creative photographic avenues Tony continues his craft of producing the highest quality Limited Edition Archival Art Giclée Prints to a selected clientele of which Ajax Prints is fortunate to be included.

With his ethos of strong client partnership and a commitment that is absolute Tony brings Australia’s finest printing skills to our Ajax Limited Edition Archival Prints such that it is not unreasonable to consider our Prints when framed and maintained under archival practice to have a life expectancy in the order of 100 years.

www.tonyknight.com.au

tony@tonyknight.com.au

Ranks & Ratings

Badges of Ranks, Ratings, Speciality Qualifications of Robert (Bob) John Sharplin

Petty Officer Sleeve (upper left) and Cap badge
Also worn by Stoker Petty Officer

The badges of rank – CPO (Chief Petty Officer) , PO (Petty Officer), LS (Leading Seaman), OS (Ordinary Seaman) etc. and good conduct stripes are worn on the left upper sleeve, and indicate just that - rank. The actual standard of training reached in that specialty is marked by the badge (with and without crowns and stars) worn on the right upper sleeve.

Chief Petty Officer – Sleeve buttons
(On each sleeve cuff) & Cap Badge
Also worn by Chief Mechanician.
➢ These were worn by Bob in his final rank.

In British naval practice, specialty and rating are generally unrelated. A man may have a high status in a specialty without advancing beyond a seaman's rating; or he may be a CPO but still not be highly qualified in his particular specialty. In such cases, advancement in rating would depend on leadership, education etc.


 Mechanician: [all with propeller with crown above, star below]:

Chief Mechanician
Mechanician, 1st Class
Mechanician, 2nd Class
Mechanician (O.S.)
Worn on right upper sleeve
➢ This was worn by Bob in his final rank

 Stoker: [three bladed propeller]

Chief Stoker [crown above]
Stoker Petty Officer [crown above]
Leading Stoker [star above]
Stoker, 1st Class [star above]
➢ Stoker, 2nd Class [Propeller only] Bob’s initial rating upon joining
Stoker, Fire Fighter (not in Pay lists)
Worn on right upper sleeve

Good Conduct Chevrons
Good Conduct Pay (for each badge)
Worn on left upper sleeve
➢ Bob wore the 3 chevrons shown on the left in his final rank

Bob’s Decorations: Medals & Clasps

The Atlantic Star
The Africa Star with France & Germany Bar
The 1939-1945 Star
The 1939-1945 Medal
Long Service & Good Conduct Medal

     Bob’s Medal has the France & Germany Clasp

     Bob’s Medal does not have the Clasp shown here.
 

  

ROYAL NAVY LONG SERVICE & GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL

The Royal Navy Long Service & Good Conduct Medal was introduced on 24 August 1831. It is silver and circular in shape and is based on the pattern of that issued in 1848. The suspender on the medal was changed to the present narrower width in 1875. The obverse of the medal shows the effigy of the reigning monarch at the time of the award. The reverse shows the image of a three-masted man-of-war surrounded by a rope tied at the foot with a reef knot with the legend 'For Long service and Good Conduct' around the circumference. The ribbon is blue with white edges.

An Other Rank who completes 15 years of reckonable service from the date of attestation or age 17½, whichever is later, and who holds all three good conduct badges, shall be eligible to receive the medal. However, there are a number of offences which would normally preclude award of the medal. Awards are only made after a thorough check of a sailor's record of service.

The service number, rank and name of the recipient is normally engraved around the edge of the medal as is Bob's. Also up until the early 1980s the name of the ship or shore establishment the recipient was serving on when he or she received the medal was also given. Unfortunately this information is no longer impressed on the medal.

The ORDER of LEGION d'HONNEUR

The Légion d’Honneur is the highest decoration that France can bestow and is normally restricted to French Citizens.

On 25th July 2014 the French Government informed the UK Ministry of Defence that it wished to recognise the "selfless acts of heroism and determination displayed" by all veterans of the Normandy landings and of the wider campaigns to liberate France in 1944, by awarding them with the  Légion  d’Honneur. Thus it was to be awarded to not only those troops who landed on French soil but also to those members of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force who were there in support, the only exception made was that it would not be awarded posthumously!

So Bob earned it by being in the Cruiser HMS Mauritius (Note 1) at the D-Day landings and the Battle for Normandy, but, like many thousands of others did not receive his recognition, simply because they had died prior to any application resulting from 25th July 2014 announcement. A poor decision  leaving one with the impression of a French Government being parsimonious in not only disregarding those thousands who had since died but completely denying recognition of those who actually gave their lives for France in the campaign!

One who also shared this theft of any recognition was Bob's elder brother Perce who was there on HMS Apollo (Note 2).

Notes:
1. At the “D-Day” invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944 HMS Mauritius was part of Force D off  
    Sword Beach acting as a gun platform to "take out" German coastal heavily fortified gun 
    emplacements. She suffered some slight damage by gunfire from those German shore batteries.
    (For details of HMS Mauritius refer to "Ships & Shore Establishments Served In", Entry No. 15).

2. Perce Sharplin was a Chief Petty Officer Stoker on board HMS Apollo as part of "Operation
     Neptune" (Note 3) when on D-Day + 1 (7 June) she was assigned to carry the invasion forces most
    senior officers, Allied Supreme Commander General Dwight D Eisenhower, Naval Commander in
    Chief Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, General Bernard Law Montgomery and staff officers from 
    SHAEF to visit the assault areas. However she grounded damaging her propellers so the 
    passengers were transferred to HMS Undaunted, a U-class Destroyer, who returned them to
    Portsmouth. Apollo made her way back to Sheerness then on to the Tyne for repairs.
    (HMS Apollo, 8th of her name, was a 2,650 ton Abdiel class Fast Cruiser-Minelayer capable of 40 knots, built 1943,
     broken up 1962). 

3.  "Operation Neptune" was the cross-Channel crossing phase of "Operation Overlord", the Allied
     invasion of Europe. "Operation Neptune" placed all naval issues under the command of Admiral
     Sir Bertram Ramsey whose command skills had already been seen in 1940 with the part he played
     in the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk. "Operation Neptune" required some 6,000 ships of all
     types and sizes.

4. In participating in these actions Mauritius, Apollo and Undaunted (9th of her name) all earned
    the Royal Navy 's "Normandy 1944" Battle Honour. 
   

Service Record

Royal Navy Service Record of Robert (Bob) John Sharplin

Royal Navy Official Number: KX80024
Port Division: Chatham
Service Period: 8th July 1929 – 12th February 1953

Research by his son - Clive Sharplin.

Bob, believed to be mid 1941 to early 1942
Photo: Sharplin family archive

This Record is a compilation of Bob’s original Royal Navy documents which either accompanied or followed him throughout the whole of his 23½ years wherever he served. Incredibly they survived that ordeal and are now in the care of his family. They provided in sequence the name of every ship or shore establishment to which he was drafted with the relevant service dates, his educational and speciality (professional) qualifications attained, his progression through the ranks, decorations and awards made to him and the personal performance and conduct reports made by each of his Divisional and Commanding Officers.

The critical source documents were:

Admiralty Form S.-459         “Certificate of Service”

Admiralty Form S.-1243       “True Copy of Certificate of Service”

Admiralty Form S.-1246a     “Employment and Ability Record”

Admiralty Form S.-239         “Recommendations for Advancement Conduct Record Sheet”

Service

08/07/1929     Volunteered at age 18 for 12 years service. Previous  

                       occupation given as “Butcher & Errand Boy”   

08/07/1941     Re-engaged to complete time for pension

1951               Service period automatically extended by 18 months due to

                       hostilities (Korean War)

12/02/1953     Retired on pension

 Ratings

                                    08/07/1929     Upon entry rated Stoker 2^nd Class                 

11/05/1930     Rated Stoker 1^stClass

11/06/1935     Rated Acting Leading Stoker

12/06/1935     Provisionally selected as “Mechanician Candidate”

12/06/1935     Rated Acting Stoker Petty Officer

11/03/1936     Qualified to take charge of Boiler Room whilst steaming

12/06/1936     Rated Stoker Petty Officer

11/11/1938     Rated qualified for Warrant Officer Rank in the Mechanician

                       Branch.  

                       (He subsequently declined to accept commissioned rank - See   
                             Note 1 )

30/01/1939     Rated Mechanician 2^ndClass, Petty Officer

01/06/1940     Rated Mechanician 1^stClass, Petty Officer

01/10/1944     Declared as “Is in all respects capable of taking charge of the

                       Machinery of a small ship”

25/01/1945     Rated Acting Chief Mechanician Petty Officer

09/02/1945     Passed “Good” by examination for Chief Mechanician

10/08/1945     Rated Chief Mechanician Petty Officer

 Conduct

3 Good Conduct Badges (Chevron Stripes)

1^stawarded 08/07/1932

2^ndawarded 08/07/1937

3^rdawarded 08/07 1942

Long Service & Good Conduct Medal, 08/07/1944

Notes:

1. After WW2 and in retirement Bob was on record in saying that he believed that with the post-war value of hindsight this decision may well have saved his life. In making that statement he held the belief that so many of his contemporaries who had accepted a commission at around that same time were drafted as Senior Engineers into the smaller ships such as destroyers, frigates and corvettes had ultimately lost their lives as those vessels suffered horrendous losses in ships and men from enemy action.     

Authorities

I am much indebted to and acknowledge the most valuable material confirmation, advice, expertise, guidance and information provided by these particular Authorities. Without them significant portions of my material would either not have been found, made available or my own research able to be confirmed.

The Admiralty

1. ”Certificate of the Service of Robert John Sharplin in the Royal Navy” and other personal service records and papers.
2. Various War Diaries and Operational Accounts.

The National Archive, Kew, England

The Cruiser HMS Ajax Ship’s Log

HMS Ajax & River Plate Veterans Association, England

Ongoing assistance and advice in regard to the Association's activities particularly President Peter Danks, archivist Malcolm Collis and Alf Larkin Association Member and Cruiser Ajax Crew Member at the time of The Battle for Crete.

Peter C Smith, England 

Noted published author of some 67 books of aeronautical, naval and military history including the Series “Luftwaffe at War”.

Adams, Robert - England 

Biographical assistance re his Father, Albert “Ajax” Adams, Naval Constructor and designer of HMS Ajax.

The Town of Ajax, Ontario, Canada    

The Mayor, Steve Parish, and his staff  who are unstinting in their access to the Town's Archives and assisting in everything related to the ships named "Ajax".  In particular their generous hosting of my and my Wife's visit to the town along with fellow members of The Ajax & River Plate Veterans Association in June 2014 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the River Plate. Also for  the dedication ceremony at that time of "Sharplin Drive" to the memory of my Father, Robert John Sharplin, in the presence of my Wife and myself and other Association Members, a truly moving experience.