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Reference letter for Charles Hurst from Gunnery Lieutenant Colquhoun
Reference letter for Charles Hurst from Gunnery Lieutenant Colquhoun

Reference letter for Charles Hurst from Gunnery Lieutenant Colquhoun

Maker
Date1896
Object number00030107
NameLetter
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 195 x 125 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Gerald Hurst
DescriptionReference letter written by W.G.Colquhoun, Gunnery Lieutenant, aboard HMVS NELSON in Port Melbourne, 26th September 1896, to recommend Charles Hurst to any employer 'as a most trustworthy and sober man'.HistoryPrior to1853, Australian colonists paid little attention to the state of their naval defences, as the naval supremacy of Great Britain was considered an adequate safeguard. This situation changed in 1865 with the passing of the Imperial Colonial Naval Defence Act, which asserted that states were to provide, maintain and operate warships, and to raise and maintain seamen to serve in these vessels. To meet the terms of the Act, the colonists at Victoria applied to the British Government in 1866 for assistance in establishing their State Naval Force. The British Government's response was to provide a grant of £100,000 towards the cost of the turret ship HMVS CERBERUS and to donate the 55 year old wooden line-of-battle ship HMS NELSON for use as a training ship in Port Phillip. Laid down during the Napoleonic Wars, HMS NELSON was the largest warship built for the Royal Navy. She was officially transferred to the Victorian Navy in February 1867, and commissioned on 22 July as HMVS NELSON, the Victorian Navy's training ship based at the Williamstown Dockyard. The figurehead of Horatio Nelson from HMS NELSON is part of the National Maritime Collection, standing as a powerful symbol of the history, traditions and links between the Royal Navy, Victorian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.SignificanceThe Victorian Naval Force was integral to the defence of the state of Victoria (in fact the naval force contributed to making Melbourne the most heavily defended city in Australia) and this reference letter outlines the qualities seen as important for their servicemen to have.