ABLE seaman E. Wells was featured in this fantastic image published in the Sydney Daily Telegraph on 11 February 1941.

The previous day, Wells had disembarked the HMAS Sydney and was enjoying “a long drink of Sydney beer – his first for more than a year.”

The Telegraph reported that the sailor’s first stop on getting leave was a Sydney pub.

“Ordinary pint pots were not big enough for his thirst. He called for the bar’s three-pint jug.”

Nine months later HMAS Sydney was lost in action, sinking after a battle with the German auxiliary cruiser HSK Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia.

On November 19 1941 ‘The Sydney’ was ambushed by the disguised Kormoran and was sunk with the loss of all 645 crew members, the largest naval loss in Australian history.

The incident remains shrouded in mystery, with the wrecks of both ships discovered in 2008 by the Finding Sydney Foundation, providing some closure to the enduring questions surrounding the tragedy. 

Wells, however, seems to have escaped the tragedy.

There is no record of an Able Seaman E. Wells serving on the HMAS Sydney when it was lost in 1941.

The Australian War Memorial lists the 645 crew members who perished, but “E. Wells” is not amongst them, nor is he in the detailed records of the ship’s final hours.

Do you have any information on the fate of “E. Wells”? Scroll down to the comments section or contact us at Time Gents.

 _{© Copyright Mick Roberts 2025}

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