Bond, Arthur George Hayes (Commander, b.1872 - d.?)

Collection relating to the First World War and Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War service of Commander Arthur George Hayes Bond OBE, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy, Australia, 1928.

Wallet 1 of 1 – This wallet contains a typescript memoir of the war service of the destroyer flotilla of the Royal Australian Navy, April 1916-February 1919.

In the memoir, Bond describes his service with the Royal Australian Navy from Borneo 1916 when he took command of a flotilla of ships conducting patrol missions until July 1917 at which point the flotilla was ordered to the Mediterranean. Bond recalls events including the flotilla reporting at Aden, operations against Turkish forces, sailing to Malta, conducting exercises at Corfu and Greece before joining the British Adriatic Force at Brindisi where the RAN flotilla was engaged in anti-submarine duties throughout 1917-1918 as part of the Otranto Barrage.

Bond then goes on to recount events after the Armistice, including the Australian flotilla being ordered to the Black Sea where Bond was commanding HMAS 'Swan' where he was to inspect and report on the condition of Russian craft, and after this, being sent to report on the military, economic and civil condition of the Don Cossacks in conjunction with the French destroyer 'Bisson'.

He writes of the hospitality shown to him and his men at Novocherkassk and the military situation. He also describes meeting with several White Russian ranking officers, including Generals Pyotr Krasnov and Anton Deniken. Bond includes a translation of an order given to the Russian army from Tsar Nicholas II following his abdication, dated 8 March 1917 and a short summary of Commander Bond's service with the Australian Navy. Bond then describes falling ill with influenza and pneumonia and returning to England.

His memoir includes descriptions of meeting Sultan of Brunei Muhammad Jamalul Alam II in 1916 and escorting the Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos. He relays accounts from Russian officers of the Bolshevik mutiny in the Russian fleet.

Memoir compiled 1928 in response to request from Australian War Memorial for material relating to war service of Commander Bond.

• Wallet 1 of 1 - Memoir of Arthur George Hayes Bond, 1928