Paper based material collected by John Berchmans Kiley while serving in the Royal Australian Navy
Date1920-1930
Object numberANMS0831
NameArchive series
MediumPaper
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from John B Kiley
DescriptionThis archive collection of paper based material was collected by John Berchmans Kiley during his service in the Royal Australian Navy. It includes qualification cards, examination papers, test results, and photographs depicting sailors, ships and coastal scenes.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 went on to join HMAS SYDNEY and travelled to England, returning home on HMAS AUSTRALIA. Kiley also served in HMAS MELBOURNE, and 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.SignificanceThis collection of paper based material provides an important insight into the history of the Royal Australian Navy in the early 20th century through the experiences of John Berchmans Kiley.