| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2020.7.69 |
| Collection number | PR04425 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | Wallet |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Diary |
| Physical description | 38 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Pascoe, Percival Holman |
| Place made | Ceylon: Colombo, Egypt, Singapore |
| Date made | 1940-1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
Wallet 1 of 1 - Diary of Percival Holman Pascoe, 1940-1941
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War service of 22822 Stoker Percival Holman Pascoe, HMAS Sydney (1934-1941), 1940-1941.
Wallet 1 of 1 - The collection consists of a diary Stoker Pascoe maintained while serving aboard the light cruiser HMAS Sydney. The diary details the service of HMAS Sydney from April 1940 to February 1941, covering the ship's departure from Australian waters, service on convoy escort duties in the Indian Ocean, operations with the 7th Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean, and eventual return to Western Australia.
Stoker Pascoe writes of sailing through the sea mines at Singapore, sightseeing in Colombo, and traversing the Suez Canal. In the Mediterranean, he writes of coming under aerial attack and of the nerve-racking nature of persistent air raids, records the service of HMAS Sydney on anti-submarine operations, contraband patrols, sweeps and escort duties, and discusses tensions with the French fleet in Alexandria following the fall of France to Germany in June 1940. He also writes of the squadron's work on convoy operations, HMAS Sydney's involvement in the shore bombardments of Bardia, Scarpanto and Valona, and of the naval battles of Espero Convoy, Calabria, Cape Spada, and Cape Passero.
Stoker Pascoe was killed in action when HMAS Sydney sank following a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran.