Hello Listers I was wondering if there is someone who can help me or point me in the right direction. My uncle, Walter Ross ("Ross") Downie was killed when the hospital ship Centaur was sunk in 1943. However, I have just been sent an old news article about the Centaur by a relative, which has a note on it that reads "Walter Ross Downie was also a member of the ships crew "The Zealandia" which was sunk by Japanese bombers at Darwin on 19 February 1942". I am not sure whether this is meant to mean he was on The Zealandia when it was sunk, or simply served on it some time prior. Would there be crew lists for The Zealandia which I could search. And how could I find out what other ships my uncle served on in WW2 ???? Any help greatly appreciated. Ross Downie Sydney

Ross Your uncle was a civilian merchant mariner. He is listed at http://www.cwgc.org/ The records of Australian merchant mariners are held at the Canberra office of NAA at http://www.naa.gov.au/ on microfilm in series A8877. As well as some personal information, the name of ships and dates of service are recorded. I have used these records and there is a detailed listing of all ships served on. As well as a listing by individual there is a second series that list ships. So as well as asking for the record of your uncle I would also ask for the records of both the Zealandia and Centaur. The only problem with the records is that they are handwritten and sometimes require patience to decipher. I believe Veterans' Affairs has a copy of these records, Give the Sydney Office a ring and see if they can help you. I would ask for the Freedom of Information officer. His name does not seem to appear on the World War 2 Nominal Roll at http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/ contact nominal.rolls@dva.gov.au and give them the details. NAA also states that other information can be sought from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which can be contacted as follows: Australian Maritime Safety Authority GPO Box 2181 Canberra ACT 2601 Tel: (02) 6279 5000 Fax: (02) 6279 5866 If you contact the Australian Maritime Safety Authority I would be most interested in their response. I was under the impression they had created the microfiche which they gave to NAA and DVA and have no additional information. Anthony Staunton see www.mhsa.org.au -----Original Message----- From: ross [mailto:rwdownie@optusnet.com.au] Sent: Saturday, 27 May 2006 10:51 AM To: AUS-MILITARY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [AUS-MIL] The Zealandia - Sunk Darwin February 1942 Hello Listers I was wondering if there is someone who can help me or point me in the right direction. My uncle, Walter Ross ("Ross") Downie was killed when the hospital ship Centaur was sunk in 1943. However, I have just been sent an old news article about the Centaur by a relative, which has a note on it that reads "Walter Ross Downie was also a member of the ships crew "The Zealandia" which was sunk by Japanese bombers at Darwin on 19 February 1942". I am not sure whether this is meant to mean he was on The Zealandia when it was sunk, or simply served on it some time prior. Would there be crew lists for The Zealandia which I could search. And how could I find out what other ships my uncle served on in WW2 ???? Any help greatly appreciated. Ross Downie Sydney ==== AUS-MILITARY Mailing List ==== Anzac Research http://anzacresearch.tripod.com/index.htm

The "Zealandia" was a Huddart Parker passenger/cargo liner of 6600 tons, built 1910, and known as "Z", see: http://www.merchant-navy-ships.com/index.php?id=44,0,0,1,0,0 http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/navy/zealandia.htm Yours, John Wilson > My uncle, Walter Ross ("Ross") Downie was killed when the hospital ship > Centaur was sunk in 1943. However, I have just been sent an old news article > about the Centaur by a relative, which has a note on it that reads "Walter > Ross Downie was also a member of the ships crew "The Zealandia" which was > sunk by Japanese bombers at Darwin on 19 February 1942". >