Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Walking stick with concealed blade
Walking stick with concealed blade

Walking stick with concealed blade

Subject or historical figure (Australian, born 1917)
Date1930-1980
Object number00036277
NameWalking stick
MediumSilver, brass, ebony
DimensionsOverall: 950 x 40 x 40 mm, 0.32 kg
ClassificationsArmament
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Elaine Beeham
DescriptionThis walking stick belonged to Eric Beeham, a merchant mariner and Royal Australian Naval Reserve officer whose career spanned from the 1930s until the 1980s. It is reputed to conceal a sword; to date the museum staff have not been able to reveal the blade.HistoryThe extensive career of Captain Eric Beeham spans the period from 1936 to 1982, during which there was a great deal of change in the Australian commercial and industrial shipping industries. Beeham first went to sea as a cadet with P&O working on RMS MALOJA and RMS STRATHNAVER in 1936. During World War II Beeham worked on troopships and minesweepers and commanded the patrol boat HMAS NEROUS amongst others. After the war he worked for a number of different shipping companies including Australian & Oriental Line, later becoming a pilot for the Maritime Services Board in NSW.SignificanceThis walking stick is part of an extensive collection relating to the career of merchant mariner and naval officer Eric Beeham. The collection provides a comprehensive record of Beeham's career, and shows the culture of merchant mariners in the material Beeham chose to keep and the items he took to sea.