The arrival of the British Fleet

The subject of the painting is the arrival of the British Fleet in Melbourne on 17 March 1924 on its round-the-world journey. In this unique work Streeton has depicted the arrival of the Empire Special Service Squadron, a fleet of six warships led by the flagship 'Hood' with the Admiral of the Fleet Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Field at the helm. Travelling with the Fleet on the 'Hood' was the heir to the British throne, the Prince of Wales, later King George VIII. Bringing the heir to the throne on a worldwide tour was an added attraction for the crowds. Also travelling with the Fleet was Lord Louis Mountbatten who was a young midshipman at the time. The 'Hood' was the larger and more modern of the two battle cruisers, the other was the 'Repulse'. The Sun newspaper of 17 March 1924 described the Fleet entering Port Phillip Bay with the 'Delhi' in front leading the light cruiser squadron, followed by the 'Hood' and the 'Repulse', as a majestic and impressive sight. The Sydney Morning Herald stated: 'The Special Service Squadron comes to us as a great, living symbol of our very safety and protection.' The ships were headed for Port Melbourne for docking. The crowds would have had several days to view the great battleships. The manning of British and Australian warships was interchangeable with Australian sailors on British ships and vice-versa, so that there were possibly Australian sailors on these warships. Melbourne Botanical Gardens is seen in the foreground, with the tower of Melbourne Boys Grammar School beyond the Gardens.