Officer's service dress cap : Commander R S Veale, Royal Australian Naval Reserve

Places
Accession Number REL33561
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Headdress
Physical description Cotton, Gold bullion thread, Leather, Mohair
Maker Gieves Ltd
Place made United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London
Date made c 1930
Conflict Period 1930-1939
Second World War, 1939-1945
Period 1940-1949
Description

RAN officer's blue peaked cap with white ribbed cotton cover, black mohair band, green lined black leather peak with gold bullion oak leaf embroidery on front edge of peak, and gold embroidered King's Crown cap badge. Chinstrap buttons are present, but chinstrap is missing. The inside crown is gold stamped with maker's details. There is another sewn-in label marked with the owner's name.

History / Summary

Worn by Richard Stanley Veale of Elwood, Victoria, born 1893, who joined the Commonwealth Naval Forces (later Royal Australian Navy) at age 15 at Williamstown on 30 April 1909. He served in the RAN and RAN Reserve (RANR) for 44 years. Pre-war service included HMAS Lonsdale, Paluma and Cerberus. On 5 August 1914, he was responsible for ordering the first shot fired by Australia when he hoisted the 'H' (for hostile) flag in the Examination Service Vessel Alvina which caused the Fort Nepean guns to fire on and halt the departing German troopship SS Pfalz. He immediately volunteered for 'service in an unspecified overseas area', was promoted to Midshipman on 19 August 1914 and served with the Naval Expeditionary Force, becoming a member of the ANMEF.

He was placed in charge of No 6 Company, a group of South Australian volunteers and left Sydney aboard HMAS Berrima, headed for the German possession of New Britain. Upon landing at Simpsonhafen on Friday 11 September, Veale led his Company toward the fighting on the Bitapaka Road in time to witness his friend Lieutenant Commander Elwell's death. That night, Veale and his Company camped at the crossroads - 'I snatched a couple of hours sleep on the concrete doorstep of the Chinaman's store at the cross-roads, alternating watch-keeping with Midshipman Harry William.'. The next morning, Veale was sent with his right-half company to join a party of men led by his Company Commander, T A Bond, who had been sent the previous night to Bitapaka, some 7 kilometres away, to capture the German Wireless Station.

Given charge of Bond's 26 native prisoners, Veale and his company marched them back to Kabakaul Jetty, passing the Union Jack which 5 Company had hoisted earlier in the day (see REL/02529) and which Veale souvenired later. Two days later, on 17 September, Veale was made Second Officer of the Guard mounted for the capitulation ceremony; the official surrender occurred four days later. Veale later remarked in his diary '24 September: Have had the custody of Dr Haber the German ex-Governor. He told me his defence arrangements were a week too late and we arrived a week too soon'. Veale and his Company then settled down to Garrison duty on New Britain, conducting patrols and fighting boredom and remained there until 2 December 1914 and finally departed for Australia on 8 January 1915; Veale found himself leading the first Returned Servicemen's march through Sydney on January 16.

Veale served in 1915 and 1916 on the Pacific, China and East Indies stations, mainly aboard the HMAS Encounter. He was promoted to Acting Sub Lieutenant on 1 August 1916; Provisional Sub Lieutenant on 20 August 1917; Lieutenant on 1 July 1919 and Lieutenant Commander on 1 July 1927. He commanded the Guard of Honour for the Prince of Wales' visit in 1920; for the Duke of York's visit in 1927 and the Duke of Gloucester's visit in 1934; was the first reserve officer to train at Flinders Naval Depot in 1920; was awarded the Naval Volunteer Reserve Officer's decoration in April 1928 and is one of the few Commonwealth officers to have two clasps to this award (conferred 1940 and 1945).

When the Second World War was declared, Commander Veale was the Naval Extended Defence Officer in charge of the Bass Strait approaches to Port Phillip and as CEO gave the actual order to Fort Nepean, again, to fire Australia's first shot of the Second World War, across the bows of the freighter Woniora which had entered the heads on September 4, 1939, without acknowledging the recognition signal. During the war, Veale held the positions of Senior Staff Officer, Staff Officer (Operations) and Staff Officer (Coastal Craft) for the SE Australia Naval area and King's Harbour Master, Port Phillip. After his retirement in 1952, Commander Veale continued a close association with the Navy until his death in 1987.