British War Medal awarded to HMAS AE1 Chief Engine Room Artificer Joseph Wilson

Date1918

Object number00054671

NameMedal

MediumCopper - nickel alloy

DimensionsOverall: 50 × 35 × 3 mm

ClassificationsCoins and medals

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis British War Medal was awarded posthumously to HMAS AE1 Chief Engine Room Artificer Joseph Wilson. Wilson was aboard AE1 when it disappeared on 14 September 1914 while on patrol off Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. The British War Medal was awarded to naval personnel who spent 28 days mobilised service in Australia, at sea or overseas during prescribed periods. One side is an effigy of George V on the reverse is an image of St George on horseback trampling underfoot the eagle shield of the Central Powers, and a skull and cross-bones, the emblems of death beneath the risen sun of victory. HistoryThe submarine AE1 was put into service in September 1914 as part of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force into New Guinea in the attempt to eliminate German presence there and ensure their wireless communication stations were not able to be used by them. On September 14, AE1 and HMAS PARRAMATTA were directed out into the St Georges channel around New Britain and New Ireland in attempts to locate any enemy ships still be in the area. Although seas were calm, it was noted that the day itself was hazy and by mid-afternoon visibility on the water was reduced to five nautical miles. At 1520 HMAS PARRAMATTA spotted AE1 off Bernard Point. However, by 2000 that night AE1 had not returned to Simpson Harbour as agreed. HMAS PARRAMATTA and HMAS YARRA started to search for AE1 that night but no trace was found. The next morning the search was widened and now included HMAS ENCOUNTER and HMAS WARREGO. At the end of three days the search was concluded with no trace or clue as to what had happened to AE1. In a report back to the Admiralty, Vice Admiral Patey suggested that AE1 most likely had struck and an underwater reef and sunk in the deeper waters of the channel. In December 2017, a search for Australia’s first submarine, HMAS AE1, was undertaken by a collaborative team comprising researchers and specialists from the Silentworld Foundation, ANMM, Find AE1 Ltd., the Royal Australian Navy and Fugro, N.V. The search was successful and identified AE1’s final resting place off the Duke of York Islands in Papua New Guinea. In April 2018, further research was carried out at the site by the ANMM, Find AE1 Ltd. and Curtin University’s HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch) aboard R/V PETREL, a vessel owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and operated by Vulcan, Inc. Also on board was a Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) and images relayed back to researchers aboard PETREL revealed vital clues to a sequence of events that led to AE1’s loss. For example, the submarine’s bow and stern torpedo tube caps were found to be either partially or fully open, and that this appears to have been an intentional act carried out on the surface. Why the caps were open, and whether they contributed in some manner to the loss will likely never be known. Similarly, the reason that a ventilation valve was partially open will probably never be known, but it is fair to say that it was one of the root causes of the submarine’s demise once it began to submerge on what would be its last dive. Despite efforts by the crew to recover—as evidenced by the positions of the submarine’s hydroplanes—AE1 was overwhelmed by the inflow of water through the ventilation valve and began to sink by the stern. At an unknown depth, the forward pressure hull partially imploded, killing the crew instantly. The submarine continued its fatal dive until it struck the seabed stern first at a shallow angle, breaking off the skeg and rudder. The hull then pitched forward, breaking AE1’s back and possibly snapping off all four hydroplane guards. This violent movement also affected the fin, which—likely already weakened structurally during the implosion—began to topple forward into the remnants of the control room. Going forward, the imagery and 3D model generated as a result of the 2018 investigations will prove critical in AE1’s ongoing interpretation, exhibition and management. SignificanceThe medal is significant for its association with Joseph William Wilson, a member of the crew of submarine HMAS AE1 which disappeared without trace on 14 September 1914 while on patrol off Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. The loss of the submarine and its crew was sorely felt by the fledgling Royal Australian Navy.