Bradbury, Rowland Charles
4654 Leading Seaman Rowland Charles Bradbury – HMAS Melbourne & HMAS Moreton Bay
Rowland Charles Coverdale 'Dido' Bradbury was born in Perth WA to Miles and Catherine Bradbury on the 31st January 1900. He was the oldest of eight children, with the other seven being born in Fremantle, William (1901), Norrison (1903), Owen (1905), Phyllis (1907), Keats (1910), Elsie (1917) and Gwen (1920).
The family lived at 162 Alexander Road Beaconsfield (later renamed 162 Wray Avenue and then renumbered 122 Wray Ave). Rowland was educated locally, however when he turned 15 he joined the Royal Australian Navy on the 1st March 1915. After his initial training at HMAS Cerberus Rowland would serve on the ships HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Australia during the Great war years.
According the Royal Australian Navy website, when Rowland joined the ship, HMAS Melbourne, was part of
the North America and West Indies Squadron, maintaining a series of patrols in the West Indies with Jamaica as the centre point; and off Long Island and the entrance to New York Harbour with Halifax as the base. Squadron Headquarters were at Bermuda. Melbourne operated north to Halifax and south to the Para River, Brazil, taking in the Gulf of Mexico.
At the close of August 1916 Melbourne detached from the North America and West Indies Stations and proceeded for Devonport, where it arrived on 7 September. Following a month in port it departed for Scapa Flow, to become a unit of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron and part of the Grand Fleet.
A brief period of routine North Sea patrols ended in January 1917 when serious engine trouble forced it into dock at Birkenhead. It remained in dockyard hands until the end of June 1917.
On 27 June 1917 Melbourne sailed from Birkenhead to rejoin the Grand Fleet at Scapa and again became a unit of the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron. The remainder of the war period was spent on routine patrols and fleet exercises in northern waters. It returned to Portsmouth on 30 November 1918. Melbourne took no part in any action at sea and suffered no casualties...On 7 March 1919 Melbourne's service in the European theatre ended when it departed Devonport for Australia, finally entering Sydney Harbour on 21 May 1919 after a leisurely cruise via Suez, Singapore and Darwin.
He spent a year on HMAS Australia, but then returned to service on HMAS Melbourne.
Through the 1920’s Rowland was stationed at Cerberus as well as HMAS Brisbane, HMAS Platypus and HMAS Melbourne.
In 1926 it appears Rowland became part of the Royal Australian Navy Reserve and then resided in Fremantle. In 1926 Rowland married Laura Podger in Perth. During these years Rowland was working for the Electricity and Gas Department in Perth
From 1927 to 1938 he also served at the Naval Office in Fremantle and he was then sent to Victoria and HMAS Cerberus and HMAS Penguin and HMS Moreton Bay.
He served under Acting Captain E M Haes on the HMS Moreton Bay, an armed merchant cruiser, which had been converted from its former use as a passenger ship. The vessel was in Hong Kong to help evacuate families in the face of a pending attack by Japanese forces which was expected in July 1940.
While the ship was in Hong Kong it appears that Rowland fell ill and died of appendicitis on the 25th July 1940. He was buried at Sai Wan Cemetery Hong Kong in plot VI.A.11.
His family chose the following epitaph;
"DIDO" FOREVER IN THE HEARTS OF HIS LOVED ONES PERTH, WEST.AUST.