Captains and officers WC key : Steward J E Bast, HMAS Canberra (I)

Small brass key with attached brass tag stamped 'CAPTAIN's & OFFICERS W.C.' and part of an aluminium tag for the gunroom pantry, both from the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra (I). The aluminium tag is stamped 'GUNR / PAN'. A small piece of dark green coloured silk thread was tied through the key, it is now undone and loosely threaded through the key and tags.

F3160 Steward John Ernest Bast enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy at Fremantle, Western Australia, on 12 September 1940. He had served as a merchant seaman before the Second World War and for part of the war, including the evacuation of Dunkirk. He transferred to the RAN and served in HMAS Canberra, surviving her sinking in August 1942 during the Battle of Savo Island. These keys were in his pocket when the ship sank. The key to the gunroom pantry was lost. Bast subsequently served in HMA ships Warramunga, Barcoo and Shropshire. Although Bast's substantive rank was Steward, he also served, as was common practice for stewards and cooks in this period, as part of an Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun crew when required. He was discharged on 12 February 1946.

W.C. is a the abbreviation for water closet, or toilet.