Royal Australian Navy sewing kit issued to John Berchmans Kiley

Date1925-1930

Object number00036209

NameSewing kit

MediumCloth

DimensionsOverall: 140 x 100 mm, 0.12 kg

ClassificationsTools and equipment

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from John B Kiley

Terms

DescriptionThe kit opens to reveal three compartments containing: thread, needles attached to small piece of cloth, various metal and plastic buttons, twine and HMAS TINGIRA cap tally. John Berchmans Kiley served on the training ship HMAS TINGIRA on joining the Royal Australian Navy in 1925.HistoryJohn Berchmans Kiley was born on 29 January 1910 and joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1925. He began his naval service on HMAS TINGIRA, a ship for boy sailors moored at Rose Bay in Sydney, where he trained for 15 months. He served on HMAS SYDNEY for around 12 months before joining HMAS HMAS MELBOURNE on its last voyage to England in 1928, returning home on the new HMAS AUSTRALIA in the same year. John undertook four years of training at HMAS CERBERUS studying a range of gunnery courses. Kiley reached the rank of Leading Seaman, and to his great disappointment was invalidated out of the navy around 1930 due to respiratory illness.