The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (24054) Able Seaman Ronald Matthew Vogt, HMAS Sydney (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 Sharon bown, the story for this day was on (24054) Able Seaman Ronald Matthew Vogt, HMAS Sydney (II), Second World War.

24054 Able Seaman Ronald Matthew Vogt, HMAS Sydney (II)
KIA 20 November 1945
Story delivered 14 June 2018


Today we remember Able Seaman Ronald Matthew Vogt.

Ronald Matthew Vogt was born in Blyth, South Australia, on 25 September 1919, the eldest of ten children of Joseph and Florence Vogt. Known to friends and family as “Ron”, he worked as a farm labourer after school but always had a desire to travel. Following the outbreak of war, the 20 year old volunteered for the Royal Australian Navy.

In February 1940 Vogt was posted to HMAS Cerberus, the navy’s training establishment some 70 kilometres south of Melbourne as a stoker 2nd class. A month later he was rated as an ordinary seaman. In early February 1941 he was posted to HMAS Sydney following the cruiser’s celebrated actions in the Mediterranean. Soon afterwards Vogt was rated as an able seaman.

A modified Leander class light cruiser, Sydney was armed with eight 6-inch guns and was the pride of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in England, the cruiser was commissioned into the RAN in 1935. There was a mixture of ages and experiences in Sydney’s company.

During 1941 Sydney was engaged in escort duties off the Australian coast. In April Vogt wrote home to his parents telling them how he had “been travelling all round the East Indies & visited the great city of Singapore … I thought it a nice place but so different from any Australian town, with its native life & smells & all the different races.” He continued: “I’m really becoming a seasoned traveller for I’ve now been in three oceans … and also have crossed the Equator into the northern hemisphere.”

Sydney went on to visited Noumea, Auckland, and Suva in her role as convoy escort before returning to Western Australian waters. In mid-June Vogt was promoted to able seaman and passed his first gunnery course. A devoted Catholic, in October he wrote home telling his parents how pleased he was to have been present for mass on the Feast of Christ the King. This would be his last letter home.

On 19 November, Sydney was steaming back to Fremantle, having escorted a troopship part of the way to Singapore. At about 4 pm the cruiser spotted a suspicious merchant ship and decided to investigate. By 5:30 pm, Sydney had almost drawn alongside the vessel which suddenly revealed its true identity as a German raider.

Hoisting the German naval ensign, Kormoran opened fire with its guns and fired torpedoes. Its first salvo slammed into Sydney’s bridge. The Australian cruiser returned fire, but Kormoran’s second and third salvos again hit Sydney’s bridge and amidships. The cruiser’s three main turrets, “A”, “B” and “Y”, were soon out of action, but “X” turret kept up fast and accurate fire that hit the raider’s funnel and engine room. Sydney, in turn, was hit by a torpedo between “A” and “B” turrets. Mortally damaged and ablaze, Sydney turned away from the raider but continued to fight, using its secondary armament and torpedoes.

Kormoran was also burning. At 6.25 pm its captain gave the order to abandon ship. As the German sailors evacuated their stricken vessel, they watched the Australian cruiser, now only a distant glow on the dark horizon, disappear into the night.

By midnight, Sydney was gone, lost with all hands – 645 men in all – including Vogt. He was 22-years-old.

Ron Vogt is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in Britain. His name is also listed on the Roll of Honour on your right, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

We now remember Able Seaman Ronald Matthew Vogt, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.

Karl James
Historian, Military History Section