German Imperial Flag : Able Seaman Harold Dewsbery, Royal Australian Naval Reserve, Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force

Horizontally striped black, white and red Imperial German flag, 9 by 6 feet, with the white stripe expanding to a roundel in the centre. The roundel has a crowned Prussian eagle in black, red and gold.

The 977 ton German Government steam yacht KGS Komet was built in Bremerhaven in 1911, and dispatched to German New Guinea as an administrative vessel for the protectorate. She was based at Rabaul on the island of New Britain, and fitted out in a luxurious manner for the use of senior German staff.

When war was declared in August 1914, she was at Morobe, New Guinean, having transported the German acting Governor, Dr Eduard Haber, there on a visit of inspection. Having narrowly avoided interception en route by the Australian squadron, she was able to return to New Britain, landing Haber at Herbertshohe, near Rabaul.

The Komet was then placed by Haber at the disposal of Admiral von Spee's German fleet, and used as a supply vessel to the auxiliary cruiser Prinz Eitel Freidrich until late September. As Rabaul had been captured by Australian forces, and British ships were known to be in the area, she then sought refuge at a remote location on the north coast of New Britain which became unofficially known as 'Komethafen' (Komet Harbour).

The Komet’s presence was reported to the Australian administrator in Rabaul. At 4am on October 9, HMAS Nusa, an armed yacht which had itself been captured from the Germans, sailed from Rabaul with garrison troops including Able Seaman Harold Dewsbery. At dawn on the 11th, the Nusa surprised the Komet at anchor near Talasea, around 250 kilometres south-west of Rabaul. The Komet’s crew were caught unprepared and surrendered immediately. Dewsbery was later mentioned in a special garrison order by Lieutenant Colonel John Paton, second in command of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, praising the efforts of the troops involved. Following the capture of the Komet, Dewsbury souvenired this coffee pot and a German flag (RELAWM16179A). Dewsbery had been born in England in 1881 and served 12 years in the Royal Navy before emigrating to Australia in 1910, where, because of his recent service he was placed on the naval reserve.