Stoker Cecil McLennan RAN, HMAS Sydney
C. McLENNAN 7883
STOKER. RAN. H.M.A.S. “SYDNEY”
DIED 19TH. JUNE 1916
AGED 23 YEARS
Cecil Patrick McLennan was born on 5th. June, 1894 at Lismore, New South Wales to parents John and Elizabeth McLennan (nee Maxwell).
Cecil's father, John died on 8th October, 1901 in Lismore, NSW.
Cecil joined the Royal Australian Navy on 22nd. February, 1913. He was given an official number of 7883. His engagement expired on 28th July, 1917. Cecil was 5ft 7 ½ inches tall, with black hair, hazel eyes, a fresh complexion and a scar on front of his right shin.
Cecil served on HMS Drake, and sailed on the same ship to England and a posting to the London Depot as Stoker 2nd. Class on 22nd. February, 1913.
Cecil's mother, Elizabeth, died on 26th. March, 1913 in Lismore, NSW.
Cecil was transferred to HMAS Sydney on 27th. June, 1913. He was promoted to Stoker while still with HMAS Sydney on 1st. September, 1913. Cecil was aboard HMAS Sydney when she attacked and destroyed the German light cruiser Emden on 9th. November, 1914 at the Cocos Islands.
Cecil was attached to London Depot again from 5th. February, 1916.
Cecil was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital at Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk, suffering from Mental disease. He died there on 19th. June, 1916. According to newspaper reports Cecil died from Brain Fever. Cecil was buried in Caister Old Cemetery, Caister-on-sea, Norfolk, his grave is Plot number B. 226 and it's marked with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission "Admiralty Cross" headstone.
Stoker C. McLennan is commemorated on the Roll of Honour, located in the Hall of Memory Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia on Panel 1.
HMAS Sydney
HMAS Sydney was a Chatham-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy (R.A.N.). Laid down in 1911 and launched in 1912, the cruiser was commissioned into the R.A.N. in 1913.
Sydney arrived in Albany, Western Australia on 19th. September 1913, after completing her maiden voyage. The cruiser operated off eastern Australia until March 1914, when she sailed to Singapore to meet the two new Australian submarines AE1 and AE2. The three vessels reached Sydney in May, and the cruiser was reassigned to patrols along the eastern coast.
When World War I started, Sydney was north-bound to join Admiral George Patey and the battlecruiser HMAS Australia. The ships were quickly assigned to protect the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, which was used to capture German colonial assets in the region; Sydney participated in operations against Rabaul and Anguar Island in September. In October, Sydney and sister ship HMAS Melbourne left Patey's squadron for Sydney, where they joined the escort of the first convoy delivering Australian and New Zealand soldiers to Egypt. The convoy sailed around the southern coast of Australia to Albany, then departed on 1st. November for Colombo.
On the morning of 9th. November, the communications station at Direction Island, in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands group, was captured by the German light cruiser SMS Emden. Before capture, the station was able to transmit an SOS, which was received by the troop convoy, and Sydney was ordered to investigate. Emden's wireless operators had overheard the distress call and the orders to Sydney, and prepared to meet the Australian warship.
Sydney's first indication of Emden's location was when the German ship began to fire at a range of 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi). The Australian warship fired two salvos destroying Emden's three funnels, foremast, wireless and steering gear, and setting the engine room on fire. The German ship beached herself on North Keeling Island, and Sydney went after the supporting collier Buresk, but the ship had already commenced scuttling, and the Australian warship returned to Emden. The Germans were still flying their war ensign, but pulled it down after Sydney transmitted an instruction to surrender, then fired two salvos when no response was forthcoming.
In the course of the engagement, Sydney had fired some 670 rounds of ammunition, with around 100 hits claimed. She had meanwhile been hit sixteen times; three of her crew were killed and thirteen were wounded. 134 German personnel were killed, with the rest of the ship's company captured by Sydney (apart from a shore party, which commandeered the schooner Ayesha and escaped) and were delivered to British forces at Valletta, Malta. After leaving Malta, the Australian cruiser proceeded to join the North America and West Indies Station, arriving in Bermuda on 6th. January 1915. For the next 18 months, she carried out patrol duties between the islands of the West Indies and along the east coast of North America, in concert with HMAS Melbourne. Both ships were also detailed for occasional special patrols along the north coast of South America.
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Stoker Cecil McLennan RAN, HMAS Sydney
C. McLENNAN 7883
STOKER. RAN. H.M.A.S. “SYDNEY”
DIED 19TH. JUNE 1916
AGED 23 YEARS
Cecil Patrick McLennan was born on 5th. June, 1894 at Lismore, New South Wales to parents John and Elizabeth McLennan (nee Maxwell).
Cecil's father, John died on 8th October, 1901 in Lismore, NSW.
Cecil joined the Royal Australian Navy on 22nd. February, 1913. He was given an official number of 7883. His engagement expired on 28th July, 1917. Cecil was 5ft 7 ½ inches tall, with black hair, hazel eyes, a fresh complexion and a scar on front of his right shin.
Cecil served on HMS Drake, and sailed on the same ship to England and a posting to the London Depot as Stoker 2nd. Class on 22nd. February, 1913.
Cecil's mother, Elizabeth, died on 26th. March, 1913 in Lismore, NSW.
Cecil was transferred to HMAS Sydney on 27th. June, 1913. He was promoted to Stoker while still with HMAS Sydney on 1st. September, 1913. Cecil was aboard HMAS Sydney when she attacked and destroyed the German light cruiser Emden on 9th. November, 1914 at the Cocos Islands.
Cecil was attached to London Depot again from 5th. February, 1916.
Cecil was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital at Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk, suffering from Mental disease. He died there on 19th. June, 1916. According to newspaper reports Cecil died from Brain Fever. Cecil was buried in Caister Old Cemetery, Caister-on-sea, Norfolk, his grave is Plot number B. 226 and it's marked with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission "Admiralty Cross" headstone.
Stoker C. McLennan is commemorated on the Roll of Honour, located in the Hall of Memory Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia on Panel 1.
HMAS Sydney
HMAS Sydney was a Chatham-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy (R.A.N.). Laid down in 1911 and launched in 1912, the cruiser was commissioned into the R.A.N. in 1913.
Sydney arrived in Albany, Western Australia on 19th. September 1913, after completing her maiden voyage. The cruiser operated off eastern Australia until March 1914, when she sailed to Singapore to meet the two new Australian submarines AE1 and AE2. The three vessels reached Sydney in May, and the cruiser was reassigned to patrols along the eastern coast.
When World War I started, Sydney was north-bound to join Admiral George Patey and the battlecruiser HMAS Australia. The ships were quickly assigned to protect the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, which was used to capture German colonial assets in the region; Sydney participated in operations against Rabaul and Anguar Island in September. In October, Sydney and sister ship HMAS Melbourne left Patey's squadron for Sydney, where they joined the escort of the first convoy delivering Australian and New Zealand soldiers to Egypt. The convoy sailed around the southern coast of Australia to Albany, then departed on 1st. November for Colombo.
On the morning of 9th. November, the communications station at Direction Island, in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands group, was captured by the German light cruiser SMS Emden. Before capture, the station was able to transmit an SOS, which was received by the troop convoy, and Sydney was ordered to investigate. Emden's wireless operators had overheard the distress call and the orders to Sydney, and prepared to meet the Australian warship.
Sydney's first indication of Emden's location was when the German ship began to fire at a range of 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi). The Australian warship fired two salvos destroying Emden's three funnels, foremast, wireless and steering gear, and setting the engine room on fire. The German ship beached herself on North Keeling Island, and Sydney went after the supporting collier Buresk, but the ship had already commenced scuttling, and the Australian warship returned to Emden. The Germans were still flying their war ensign, but pulled it down after Sydney transmitted an instruction to surrender, then fired two salvos when no response was forthcoming.
In the course of the engagement, Sydney had fired some 670 rounds of ammunition, with around 100 hits claimed. She had meanwhile been hit sixteen times; three of her crew were killed and thirteen were wounded. 134 German personnel were killed, with the rest of the ship's company captured by Sydney (apart from a shore party, which commandeered the schooner Ayesha and escaped) and were delivered to British forces at Valletta, Malta. After leaving Malta, the Australian cruiser proceeded to join the North America and West Indies Station, arriving in Bermuda on 6th. January 1915. For the next 18 months, she carried out patrol duties between the islands of the West Indies and along the east coast of North America, in concert with HMAS Melbourne. Both ships were also detailed for occasional special patrols along the north coast of South America.
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