Woodgate, George Ireland (Petty Officer, b.1914 - d.1942)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of 19590 Petty Officer George Ireland Woodgate, HMAS Perth, Royal Australian Navy, At sea, 1941.

Wallet 1 of 1 - Contains a handwritten diary kept by George Ireland Woodgate while serving in HMAS Perth during the period 1 January to 12 August 1941. Woodgate records his experiences in HMAS Perth during a period the light cruiser was primarily tasked with escort and patrol duties across the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. He writes about transporting troops, ports of call, going ashore for periods of leave, coordinating with the British Mediterranean Fleet, encounters with enemy submarines and E-boats, regular air raids and repelling dive bombers. He also records longer and more detailed entries on a number of notable events including the Battle of Cape Matapan, a failed attempt to evacuate Allied troops from Kalamata in Greece, the Battle of Crete and the subsequent evacuation of Allied troops from Crete. Closing diary entries cover his return voyage to Australia via Aden and Colombo.

Petty Officer George Ireland Woodgate enlisted to the Royal Australian Navy on 10 May 1932. He served on several bases and ships, including HMAS Cerberus, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Australia, Vampire, and Hobart. In May 1940, he transferred to the HMAS Perth. He served with this ship in the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. On 1 March 1942, Petty Officer Woodgate was killed in action when the HMAS Perth was sunk by Japanese torpedos in the Sunda Strait, Netherlands East Indies. He is commemorated at the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon, United Kingdom.

• Wallet 1 of 1 - Diary of George Ireland Woodgate, January - August 1941