Next of Kin plaque : Able Seaman Thomas James Hose, HMAS Melbourne (I)

Bronze next of kin plaque, showing on the obverse, Britannia holding a laurel wreath, the British lion, dolphins, a spray of oak leaves and the words 'HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR' around the edge. Beneath the main figures, the British lion defeats the German eagle. The initials 'ECP', for the designer Edward Carter Preston appear above the lion's right forepaw. A raised rectangle above the lion's head bears the name 'THOMAS JAMES HOSE'.

Born at Bushfield, near Warrnambool in Victoria, in February 1895, Thomas James Hose entered the Royal Australian Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 1 June 1912. Assigned the service number 1727, Hose trained at HMAS Tingira in Sydney until May 1913, by which time he had progressed to Boy 1st Class. On completion of his initial training Hose was posted to the light cruiser HMAS Melbourne where he specialised as a gunlayer.

Hose served in the Pacific, West Indies and North Sea, and apart from a period ashore for further training in England, between October 1916 and March 1917, remained in HMAS Melbourne until his death from accidental drowning during a North Sea patrol on 9 January 1918. His body was not recovered and his name is listed on the Plymouth Memorial in Britain.

His commanding officer wrote to Hose's mother: "You have no doubt had all the information relative to the sad death of your son, but I felt I should like to write and tell you about it, having been his commander and had him directly under me now for several years. I was terribly grieved at his sad end, and his loss to the ship was very greatly felt. He has been under me for instruction and work ever since he first came to the ship as a boy, and I looked on him as one of the most promising men we had, so full of zeal, ability and capacity to get things done, and in consequence his rise to the higher gunnery rating of gunlayer was very quick. The night he went was one of the worst I have known; a regular blizzard was blowing. We were frozen all over with everything covered in snow and a terrific sea running. He had mustered his crew and was reporting to the officer of the watch, and was never seen after leaving the bridge. I think he must have slipped on the ladder and fallen, perhaps stunned himself, and then the heavy roll and the sea got him between the rails and over the side. He could not have lived in such a sea for more than a few seconds, and I don't think he could have suffered much. We were all dreadfully sorry to lose him; he was such a good fellow, and always a credit to his ship and a man one was proud of. I wish to tender you my heartfelt sympathy, and the only consolation I can offer is that you must remember that he died doing his duty under the most trying circumstances'.