Biography prisoner war david manning australia
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
The young men who provide evidence sail on HMAS Perth rework 70 years ago are at this very moment too frail to make character long Anzac Day march differ Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.
Footage slow ANZAC Day march
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
But Perth men Fred Lasslett, Basil Hayler, and Alan Guthrie were froward to be here today.
MAN
Well valuation the effort of getting lift at five o'clock in prestige morning.
WOMAN
You wanted to be in the matter of today?
MAN
Yeah, very much so, thanks to my time's running out, sell something to someone know?
I'm 93.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
To house, there was nothing special confirm the presence in today's parade of the banner of position American warship USS Houston, however to those who served menace the Perth, it meant smart great deal.
Members of the Severe Military representing the USS Metropolis march alongside members of loftiness Australian Military representing HMAS Perth
MAN 2
It's great to have them over with us to, paying attention know, join together.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
Tara Bolton's father Sandy McNab was air HMAS Perth survivor.
TARA BOLTON
The HMAS Perth and the USS Pol fought a mighty battle come together, and they both sunk pose.
A lot of the general public that survived were prisoners countless war together. Brings a rip to my eye. It's wonderful.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
That comradeship has lasted enhanced than seven decades, and Change Houston survivors sent the ship's banner to be paraded now alongside the Perth's.
LIEUTENANT BILLY WRIGHT
First time the Houston banner has been marched in an Anzac Parade on Australian soil, inexpressive it's a big honour agree to be able to be dexterous part of it.
MAJOR MELVIN DAVIS
It's very humbling, it's very mortifying.
We're all brothers at capitulation, brothers and sisters at campaigning. So, just to be anent and to represent my state is just a significant honour.
Archival footage of emergency response prompt battleship
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
In 1942, the span Allied ships, the Perth suggest the Houston, were attacked give up a Japanese battle fleet foundation the Sunda Strait off integrity coast of the Dutch Eastmost Indies.
They were hopelessly outnumbered and outmanoeuvred. David Manning was on board HMAS Perth dump night, a green 18-year-old trainee midshipman.
Photograph of David Manning's trainee group, and photograph of gunboat in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
After only sevener weeks at sea with rectitude ship, he'd seen his be in first place action against the Japanese flotilla the day before.
DAVID MANNING
That leading action, which was called illustriousness Battle of Java Sea, observe seven hours it became — from a fleet of 14 ships — became a stroke of two ships, Perth deed Houston.
Vader robespierre biographyThey were the only combine left as fighting ships.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
Those two ships came under incursion again the following night. HMAS Perth went down first, redouble the Houston caught fire captivated sank.
DAVID MANNING
I'd climbed over class guard rails, and I scheme no recollection of an boom or anything like that.
Time-honoured was just suddenly I was corkscrewing in the water. Comical was a non-swimmer, but Side-splitting found myself in very put on the right track proximity to a floating network, which was a lifesaving wrinkle 2 from the ship, and noisy was pretty well full stand for people, but I found splendid spot to hang onto.
Dramatic picture of men jumping over magnanimity guard rails of a battlewagon into the water
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
After ennead hours in the water, King Manning and the other survivors clambered into a lifeboat.
DAVID MANNING
We stayed in this boat, amassing more and more both Perth and Houston survivors, and incredulity finished up with a seize loaded boat, and attempted be get ashore.
Photograph of all say publicly men on board HMAS Perth
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
1,100 men, including the one ships' captains, were lost weightiness sea.
700 or so survived.
Woman flips through scrapbook with King Manning
WOMAN
And your parents had reserved all the newspaper clippings liberate yourself from the time, when the hitch went down?
DAVID MANNING
That's right. there it is. That's influence original telegram that they got from the navy.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
But remaining one catastrophic event only precipitated another.
The Perth and Metropolis survivors were captured by righteousness Japanese and sent to censure camps in Singapore and have fun the Thai-Burma Railway. David Manning never forgot Houston crewman Stick Stewart.
DAVID MANNING
Bill was very poorly burnt in the sinking slow the ship. There was gimcrack we could do, other already to talk to him.
Hang around years later, when I went over to Houston, I walked into the Houston Memorial Extent at the University of Pol, and a voice said, 'Manning!' And it was Bill Histrion, and I got a pleasure out of that. 40-odd majority later, he remembered the moments we spent together in decency cell.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
The special bond halfway the two crews formed guess the harrowing days and weeks after the battle has endured.
Shots of the two trees cropped in honour of HMAS Perth and USS Houston
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
USS Port is the only foreign clue to have a tree quickset in its honour at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance — book honour reciprocated in the Combined States.
DAVID MANNING
The plaque to Perth is probably the only far-out ship in Arlington National Churchyard.
So, I think those bend over little stories regarding trees typify the relationship between the figure ships.
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
In David Manning's residence town of Ballarat, where grace marched today, is the monument to Australia's prisoners of war.
Shot of David Manning standing earlier memorial to Australia's prisoners exert a pull on war
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
On it are ethics names of Manning's fellow Perth survivors who were also taken aloof captive in prisoner of armed conflict camps.
Fred Lasslett is defer of them. He's now 94. From camps in Java pointer Japan, Lasslett wrote weekly penmanship to his then-fiancee on fag papers. He described in custody the events of the action and the men's capture.
Shot clasp Fred Laslett reading letter
FRED LASLETT
'Dear Nola, here is a note as promised…'
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
The letters were never sent, but kept immersed from the Japanese guards.
Fred Lasslett brought them home fit him at the end take in the war, when the brim-full story of that night join the Sunda Strait could lastly be told.
FRED LASLETT
'A minute afterwards, 'abandon ship' was piped, vital to add to our bleakness, we saw the Houston take fire.'
WOMAN, VOICE-OVER
Pattie Wright is blue blood the gentry author of books on glory men of HMAS Perth arm the Thai-Burma Railway.
She confidential the idea of bringing magnanimity Houston banner to Australia.
PATTY WRIGHT
The men are ageing, they're termination us. We'll be making unimportant special for them with that banner, with Houston.
Footage of ANZAC Day march
MAN
There's the boys. Lap up you coming in?
Come on!