Gunnery and torpedo qualification card

Date1926

Object numberANMS0831[023]

NameCard

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 114 x 164 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Margaret Kiley-Balas

Terms

DescriptionThis gunnery and torpedo qualification card was issued to John Berchmans Kiley, a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy who served aboard HMAS AUSTRALIA (II) and studied a range of gunnery courses at HMAS CERBERUS.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 gunnery and torpedo qualification card is an important record of the training and study required in order to qualify for certain categories in the Royal Australian Navy.