Parramatta lays one of her own to rest
28 May 2010 By CHAP Jason Wright, RAN
The waters of the Red Sea are familiar patrol zones for the name Parramatta and recently the crew of HMAS Parramatta (Commander Heath Robertson) took time, whilst on transit in the Red Sea, to scatter the ashes of Ted Fryer, one of the 23 survivors of the sinking of HMAS Parramatta (II).
The Scattering of Ashes ceremony, a fitting tribute to a distinguished sailor, is a proud tradition in all navies and to be present was a humbling experience for all who attended the service. LEUT Jeremy Richardson, who attended Ted’s funeral in January this year and assured the family that he would attend the ashes scattering said, ‘Today we say goodbye to one of our own. A sailor whose sacrifice inspires us, and someone who sailed under the same name as we do – in the very same water’.
Prior to her sinking on the 27th November 1941, Parramatta (II) concluded nine months as part of the Red Sea Patrol. Except for a short port visit to Bombay in December 1940, she spent the entire period conducting patrol and escort duties in some of the most demanding waters in the region.
A particularly moving part of the ceremony was the reading aloud of the personal account of the sinking of Parramatta (II) which was written by Ted late in his life.
Ted, an Ordinary Seaman, was at the helm when the torpedo from U559 struck the ship on the starboard side astern of the bridge. Amongst the darkness, alarms and rapidly sinking ship, Ted could hear his Captain order ‘Abandon ship! Do not go aft!’
Tumbling into the water, Ted was temporarily caught in halyards and was dragged under the water. When he finally freed himself, Ted rose to the surface and managed to climb aboard a Carley float with his friend Harold Moss.
In the pre-dawn light Ted, Harold and the other 21 survivors were rescued by HMS Avonvale, a Hunt Class Destroyer, and after two weeks leave was posted to the Destroyer HMAS Nestor. Ted was aboard when Nestor was badly damaged by German bombers in the Mediterranean Sea and had to be scuttled.
Ted served on several other ships throughout the war and had the honour of being in HMAS Bataan in Japan for the signing of the peace treaty in 1945. Ted would leave the Navy in 1948, unfit for Naval Service as a result of the long term ill-effects of the War.
Not only was it an immense honour and privilege for all those who attended the service, but a fitting tribute to a distinguished career and remarkable life of a sailor who endured such hardship in war and recovered to lead a fulfilling life with his wife Jean and their family.
