The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (17910) Leading Seaman John Sault, HMAS Swan (II), Second World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Joanne Smedley, the story for this day was on (17910) Leading Seaman John Sault, HMAS Swan (II), Second World War.

17910 Leading Seaman John Sault, HMAS Swan (II)
KIA 19 February 1942
No photograph in the collection

Story delivered 17 October 2014

Today we remember Leading Seaman John Sault, who was killed during the bombing of Darwin in 1942 while serving in HMAS Swan (II).

Born in Wallasey in north-western England on 18 October 1905, little is known of Sault’s early life or when he immigrated to Australia. Working as a shop keeper in September 1926, Sault joined the Royal Australian Navy three weeks before his 21st birthday, signing on for the usual 12-year engagement. He was 169 centimetres tall, and bore tattoos on his both arms, both hands and on his feet.

After his initial posting in Victoria at the navy’s training establishment HMAS Cerberus, Sault served in the Great War veteran light cruiser, HMAS Melbourne, in the recently commissioned light cruiser HMAS Sydney (II), and in heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra. In August 1928 he was promoted to able seaman and spent most of the following eight years as a member of Canberra’s crew with periodic postings to Cerberus and HMAS Penguin, in Sydney Harbour. Indeed, Sydney was Sault’s home port, and in 1930 he married Ada Frazer. The couple lived in Glebe. In June 1934, Sault was promoted to leading seaman.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War Sault was posted to the light cruiser HMAS Perth in June 1940. Later that year the cruiser left Australian waters for the Mediterranean and service with the Royal Navy. During the night of 28 March 1941, Perth participated in the successful battle of Cape Matapan against the Italian navy. In April, Perth helped evacuate Commonwealth troops from the disastrous campaigns on mainland Greece and, in May, from Crete.

In June the cruiser supported Commonwealth forces fighting against the Vichy French in Syria before returning to Australia in July. Twice hit by enemy bombs, Perth also suffered several near misses.

In mid-December 1941 Sault was posted to the sloop HMAS Swan (II). Following the outbreak of war in the Pacific, Swan swept the approaches to Port Moresby for sea mines and carried out convoy escorts. In January 1942 the sloop participated in the evacuation of civilians from Amboina, in the Moluccas, and was attacked by Japanese bombers, experiencing several near misses.

From February 1942 Swan continued its minesweeping and escort duties from Darwin. In mid-February the sloop was an escort for a convoy taking reinforcements to Timor, but was forced to return to Darwin after being attacked by Japanese aircraft.

Four days later, on 19 February, the Japanese bombed Darwin. Swan was in the harbour alongside the MV Neptune. Neptune was sunk during the raid but Swan was able to get away despite being attacked seven times and suffering several near misses. During the attacks Sault received shrapnel wounds to his throat and was killed, one of three of Swan’s company to die.

Sault was 36 years old. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in Britain. His name is also listed here, on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with some 40,000 other Australian who died during the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial.
We now remember Leading Seaman John Sault, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.