Africa Star : Lieutenant I D Rhodes, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve

Africa Star with 'AFRICA 1942-43' clasp. Impressed reverse with recipient's details.

Ordinary Seaman PMV18 Ian Desmond Laurie-Rhodes was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for action on HMS ‘Kashmir’ during the Battle of Crete on 23 May 1941. It remains the only such medal ever awarded to an Australian sailor.

Laurie-Rhodes was born in Waipana, New Zealand in August 1912 and soon after moved with his family to Australia. He enlisted, under the name of Rhodes, in the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RANVR) in September 1940.

Sent to Britain under the Admiralty Yachtsman’s Scheme, Ordinary Seaman Laurie-Rhodes was posted to the British destroyer HMS ‘Kashmir’ and was with the ship in May 1941 when it took part in the naval blockade of Crete to prevent the Germans from landing troops on the island. On 23 May, the ‘Kashmir’, the ‘Kelly’ under the command of Lord Louis Mountbatten and the ‘Kipling’ were sailing to Egypt for refuelling when they came under heavy attack by German fighters and bombers. The ‘Kashmir’ suffered a direct hit and was cut in half. While preparing to join the other survivors in the ocean, Laurie-Rhodes witnessed a German plane approach and begin to strafe the struggling sailors. He immediately moved to an Oerlikon gun on the sinking deck of the ship and fired on the aircraft causing it to crash. His own position during this time was exposed and under direct threat.

For his courageous and selfless actions during the attack, Laurie-Rhodes was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, second only to the Victoria Cross in awards available to seaman. The citation reads, 'For outstanding gallantry, fortitude and resolution during the Battle of Crete. After HMS KASHMIR had been hit amidships by a bomb and was sinking, the afterpart was machine-gunned at short range by a JU.87 bomber. Ordinary Seaman RHODES was gunlayer of the Port Oerlikon which was at that time going under water. In spite of the fact that the ship was sinking rapidly, he climbed up to the Starboard Oerlikon and opened fire on the aircraft, which was hit and crashed a few cables away'.

Laurie-Rhodes' own account of the action explains further; 'Kelly turned turtle as a bomb crashed on her quarter-deck, and a bomb landed in front of me, cutting the Kashmir in half. My part of the ship - the stern - listed to port, and I continued firing until the gun was submerged. Then I crawled to starboard, intending to dive overboard, when a Stuka began dive-bombing and machine-gunning the swimming members of the crew. A German spotted me, and sent a stream of bullets at me. I got in a long burst, and saw the plane crash a hundred yards away. Kipling, whose steering-gear had been put out of action earlier, now re-appeared, steering with her engines, but, although attacked, she had a charmed life, and the crew calmly went on picking up survivors. All the eight Australians on board were rescued.'

In September, he was promoted to able seaman, sub-lieutenant in January 1942 and promotion to lieutenant followed 7 months later. In August 1945, indifferent appraisals of his temperament appear to have blocked a further promotion to acting lieutenant commander.

Following the termination of his appointment with the RANVR in April 1946 he turned to farming in the Labertouche region of Victoria and later became a company director. Laurie-Rhodes died on 3 January 1967 and was survived by his second wife and a son from his first marriage.