AN AUSTRALIAN HERO

Shannon News, 2 November 1926, Page 3

AN AUSTRALIAN HERO

COMMANDER P. C. DARLEY. BRAVE DEED IN NORTH SEA. •'.. Tho following appreciative reference to the late Commander P. C. Darlcy, who lost his life in the re--, , cent naval action in China, is contributed to tho. "Sydney Morning. Herald" by Mr A. C. Newton, late of , the Royql Navy. Ho says:— % "Frederick Campbell Darley, Royal Navy, Croix de Guerre, I first met on board the Australia,' whjch was / building in before her 'guns were in her, and from that day I was with him and by his side ttaily .v for tho next tfive years. A some T what shy and unassuming gentleman, and yet possessed of that high' polish and genial bearing which are ( characteristic of an officer of the Royal Navy, there was underlying it all the fearlessness and courage of - his race, and a whiter man never lived.

"Only his untimely end. in this latest naval action in China offers his unwritten permission to give totho Australian public an incident in his life which took place during the Great War.' It was in tho North Sea p 1917. N Wo were 'clearing ship for action,' a common exercise in, those days; and at this Command all guns are loaded and every soul on board stands by for the next de- . velopment. "On this particular occasion one of the 12-inch projectiles, for the , turret guns was being sent up from the shell-room to the loading chamber by hydraulic power. It was a ... lyddite shell, weighing £501b., and fitted with, a highly sensitive nose, i fuse or detonator. The tell-tale signal showed that the shell; and cor-/ dite were being se'nt up from below . and the powerful hydraulic lift was' start oi* its way, but the* . shell never came to the top of the , trunk. There was V tearing, straining noise, and,the lift "stuck."' . When Strong Men Paled.

Eager faces' looked at each 'other, and'a petty, officer after/giving; the § order, "Still,".-' looked inside the hydraulic ' lift. To his horror hevsaw .' that the shell had not been rammed •■ into the cage sufficiently and the • nose fuse : had been allowed to catch' against a 'projection inside the trunk. The tremendous strain of ~ the hydraulic lift had crushed in the detonator fuse, and at any moment, the slightest further movement might explode the shell. Strong men turned but awaited death if needs be, for the whole magazine would have .gono up—and they knewv it. "Comancier Darley, who was informed of the position, quickly arrived on the scene, and after a brief examination, .. quietly ' but grimly ordered everyone out of the ./turret,,' magazines and shell roomss. ' When alone, lio climbed down the lift, and with crowbar- and spanner proceeded to release; the jammed shell, and to extract the damaged fuse. Officers and men held their breath and waited for the hundred to one chance that the detonating needle inside the fuse would touch tho tiny -film of composition which meant — 'eternity.' But ' he, won through, and when he had thrown the fuse overboard he went to his cabin and lit the inevitable cigarette. "A Very Gallant Gentleman," "And in foreign lands now lies . Ihis very gallant gentleman, worthy of the V.C, yet hidden by his own modesty. Wo do not yet know of the actual circumstances of his / death, except, 'Killed in action,' but it is my firm conviction that my beloved friend, Commander Frederick Darley, R.N., has laid down his life at the head of his party of men, or in carrying out some brave deed himself rather than order' it to be done by others."